Meet Cute Marathon
by NeonDomino
Summary: 28 Meet Cutes for February. [17] Sirius falls for Remus. Literally. [18] Sirius steals flowers from Remus' garden. [19] WolfStar can find love. Even during a bank robbery. [20] Sirius and Remus share a room. [21] First meeting of online dating
1. One

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

 **One**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

I was watching that hot jogger while driving out of the neighbourhood but got distracted and crashed but i just woke up in a hospital room and said hot jogger is at my bedside because apparently they're the one who called the ambulance.

* * *

Remus cycled his bike down the road as he headed out to the bookshop for work. His mum usually drove him, but it was better this way. Remus could stay in shape and it saved his mum driving him constantly. It was a waste of her time since the bookshop was only a couple of miles away. Remus liked being able to do these things for himself too.

He watched carefully for cars as he rode across to the other side of the road. He moved into the bike lane and pedalled faster as he came to a small hill. Going down was the best part, he decided as he flew down with no effort, enjoying the wind whipping at his face.

At the bottom, Remus came to a steep hill heading back up. The joys of being in Wales meant that there were a lot of hills for him to have to deal with. There wasn't much of a choice. He'd rather this than have his mum drive him everywhere. After taking a moment to consider the effort it'd take to get up, Remus began to cycle again harder than before.

But as he was going up the hill, his eyes moved to a man running ahead of him and he couldn't tear his eyes away.

Remus' eyes fixed on the man. He was wearing tight shorts and a t-shirt that was clinging to his sweat-soaked skin. Hair had hastily been pulled back into a bun, though strands were already coming out, hanging at the nape of his neck and around his ears. Remus' eyes moved up the stranger's revealed leg, showing various tattoos. His eyes focused on a large black dog that seemed to stretch up the length of his leg - a large terrifying grim which was beautiful.

He was so captivated that he didn't see the signpost ahead of him.

...oOo...

"Remus, are you awake?"

Remus stared blearily up at the stranger. "Who are you?"

"Sirius. I… I told you that already - when we were getting into the ambulance. Don't you remember?"

"No," Remus murmured.

"Yeah. I asked what happened and you said you were watching me and crashed." Remus could hear the amusement in the man's voice and quickly realised that the man next to him was the handsome jogger. He was never going to live this down. He blushed, mortified.

"So technically this is my fault for being too irresistible," Sirius continued. "And I've decided to make it my life's goal to fix this for you. So whilst you're home with a broken leg, I'll be there to… to fluff your pillows, watch Netflix with you and give you many sponge baths and massages. Massages are good after injuries."

"Sponge baths?" Remus repeated, feeling less groggy as he took in the words. His head was pounding and he wondered how hard he had hit it. Perhaps he had a concussion?

Sirius nodded. "I take my role very seriously. Anything you need at all." He winked at Remus. "Your mum is on her way in, we'll talk about it later. Oh, and Remus?"

"Y—yes?"

"Next time, come and talk to me. I only bite in the bedroom. But you'll find that out soon enough."

Remus could only stare after him as Sirius walked from the room, shooting a sexy smile and wink over his shoulder as he reached the door. "Are you leaving?" he found himself calling.

"Of course not. I'll be in the waiting room," Sirius reassured him. "You might need me after all."

Remus watched him until the door had closed. Yes, he liked doing things for himself. But this was worth the broken leg and possible concussion.

* * *

 **614 words**


	2. Two

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

 **Two**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

I write a bad pick up line on your cup every time I'm your barista

* * *

"He's' here," Sirius whispered, his eyes on the man who had just walked through the door, rucksack slung over his shoulder. "James, he's here!"

"Right. Are you just going to stare at him like last time?" James asked, preparing a coffee for the man at the counter. "Or are you actually going to talk to him this time?"

Sirius gave a slight shrug, his eyes on the stranger as the man joined the queue, his eyes on the display. Sirius tried to work out what he was looking at, but couldn't work it out. He served the next man in the queue, hoping he would get to talk to the stranger.

"Can I have a hot-chocolate with no cream, but with some of those chocolate sprinkles please?"

Sirius nodded, his voice somehow not working. It always happened around this stranger. He was completely useless for some reason when he was usually wonderful at flirting. The man quickly paid and moved across the counter to wait for his drink. James took over the counter to serve the woman and Sirius grabbed a takeaway cup.

He quickly realised he hadn't asked for a name, but grasped the black marker and began to write.

 _'This hot chocolate is really hot, but you're hotter!'_

He finished making the drink and handed it over, hoping the man read the cup before throwing it away.

The man smiled at him before thanking him and walking out and Sirius hoped he would come back soon.

...oOo...

 _'I bet you get a latte of dates.'_

Sirius watched the man's eyes move to the words before he thanked Sirius and rushed away, inspecting the cup. There had been a red blush across his cheeks as he did so and the stranger had avoided eye contact though had clearly been eager to see what was on his cup.

Sirius eagerly watched him until he walked out of the door.

...oOo...

 _'I love how you espresso yourself!'_

The man froze halfway between the counter and the door as he read the words. He turned around, his gaze seeking out Sirius and Sirius grinned back, winking at the man he had been crushing on for months now.

The man's lips curved up into a shy smile before he quickly rushed out and Sirius counted it as a win.

...oOo...

 _'I can feel something brewing between the two of us.'_

This time the stranger didn't rush off. He took a seat at a nearby table, his gaze finding Sirius' a few times after staring at the words on the cup.

Sirius watched as the man removed a pen from his bag and began to write. On the way out, the empty cup was placed back on the counter and Sirius snatched it up eagerly.

 _'I like my baristas how I like my hot chocolate: Hot and sweet. Call me, Remus.'_

Underneath the words sat a phone number.

Sirius glanced back up to see Remus looking over his shoulder as he headed out of the door. He met Remus' gaze and grinned at him. "I'll call you," he mouthed.

As the door closed behind Remus, Sirius turned to James triumphantly, holding the cup up. "See, I told you I could do it," he insisted. "He wants me!"

* * *

 **543 words**


	3. Three

Written for:

* * *

 **Quidditch League** :

Semi-Finals: Holyhead Harpies - CHASER 1: A fluffy story using the prompt 'hate' (emotion) - 7 (dialogue) "You really told him/her, didn't you?", 14 (word) lovely, 4 (word) kindness

 **Hogwarts Forum:**

Weekly Snake Challenge - Dialogue: "It's four in the morning. Of course I was sleeping."

Library Lovers - Sabriel - (plot) missing loved one, (words) runes, "I love you. I hope you don't mind."

Scavenger Hunt - Write a fluffy Fic

Writing Club: Character Appreciation: (setting) a magical tent

Writing Club: Disney Challenge - Prince Ali - Write about someone pretending to be something they're not

Writing Club: Book Club - (character) Remus, (emotion) curiosity, "It's okay, (name), you didn't know any better."

Writing Club - Showtime: (dialogue) "I've fallen under your spell"

Writing Club: Count Your Buttons - "Can you help me?" Remus Lupin, neck

Writing Club - Believer - I'm a little bit scared

Writing Club - TV show of the month - "There's more than one kind of family" (AU) war (Character) Sirius

Writing Club - Liza's Loves - Salty Dog - Write about Sirius Black

1000 prompts - 3000 words

365 - Emotion: anger

* * *

 **A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

 **Three**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

I work at the library, and you continuously ask me to help you find books on the most random topics; are you on some kind of quest?

 **This is an AU. It's a fantasy world rather than a magical world - so there's still magic...**

* * *

Remus was used to seeing adventurers arriving at the library. There was always someone arriving who was on a quest of some sort. Some were looking for cures, some to improve their weapons or armour. Some were looking at the history books for places to seek out new adventures. He wished that his life was that exciting, yet all he had to do with his time was stack books that were left over.

He'd find himself looking at the titles of the books, sometimes even studying them himself, wondering what information each adventurer gleaned from it and whether they had found what they needed or if the books had failed them. Remus couldn't imagine the information failing anyone of course and continued to read through, eager to learn what the men clad in armour and carrying enchanted weapons learned.

This is how he got caught up in everything. Sitting half-way down an aisle, book in hand, he heard someone clear their throat. He jumped up, his eyes falling on a dark-haired man.

"Can I help you?" he asked. Though he was on his break, he couldn't risk his job by being rude when approached by someone in need of assistance.

"Yes. You have the book I need," the man replied, his eyes on the book in Remus' hand. "It holds a clue that's important. A matter of life and death."

Remus stared at the man for a long moment. It wasn't often he got to actually interact with any adventurers. Usually it was his boss that would send him running to get books. Though none of the previous adventurers had been this attractive. Remus merely held the book out.

"Worry not," the man said. "I'll read it and have it back to you for your own quest."

"I… I don't have a quest," Remus murmured.

The man clapped his hands together. "Wonderful. I was going to head to the tavern to find someone to accompany me, but why waste that time when you're here. We'll leave once I get the clues together."

"I'm sorry, I—"

"Yes, of course. We should get started at once." The man grabbed Remus' arm, pulling him to a nearby table. "Let's see. I'll need a book on… Geodes. One on caves in the troll-infested mountains and one about the forbidden forest."

"I think you've made a mistake—"

"I have?" The man stared at Remus for a long moment. "Of course I have. What was I thinking - troll-infested mountains - I should really be searching the abandoned castle north from the forbidden forest. I've heard the dungeons there are impossible to escape from. Excellent work." The man beamed at Remus. "Now, you get the books whilst I study this one."

Blinded by the smile, Remus found himself heading towards the books on the old castle and the forbidden forest. He could help this man with the research at the very least. Maybe when the stranger wasn't so distracted, he'd be able to explain himself.

...oOo…

"Listen, I think you're mistaken," Remus tried. "I can't help you."

"I understand," came the reply. "We haven't discussed payment. How does two-hundred gold pieces sound?"

Remus opened his mouth to explain that he wasn't an adventurer, but the amount caused him to pause. He earned fifty-two gold pieces a year and the idea of making almost four times that amount was something he couldn't easily refuse.

"How long will the journey take?" Remus asked, hating that he was considering this.

"A week's journey to the castle. A month at the very most."

"I'm… very new to this. I don't have armour."

"I'll give you whatever you need as long as you're prepared to go on the road with me tonight. What's your skill set?"

"I can do magic."

...oOo...

Remus stretched out on the small camp bed in the magical tent Sirius had erected that night. Charms placed upon the tent kept them safe and Remus felt guilty that he wouldn't be much use if they had to go into combat. He was a librarian for Merlin's sake, not a fighter - not an adventurer and certainly not a mage. Yes, he had learned some spells, but not enough to consider himself a mage. He was just learning and he had no right to be there.

"Sirius," he murmured. "Are you asleep? I really need to talk to you about something."

"It's four in the morning. Of course I was sleeping," came the muttered reply. "Can't it wait until morning?"

Remus considered it before shaking his head, though it was too dark for Sirius to see. After all, in the day Sirius had so much to stay that Remus could barely finish a sentence. Perhaps this was the only time Sirius was quiet long enough for Remus to get the words out.

"I lied to you earlier. Well, not lied. I omitted the truth."

"Oh?" Sirius scrambled to sit up from his own camp-bed, staring at Remus through the darkness.

"I'm not an adventurer. In fact, I'm a librarian. I work at the library you met me at."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sirius asked, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Because I don't want to deceive you," Remus said.

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay," he said slowly. "Can you help me? Or is this your way of telling me you've changed your mind."

"Of course I'll help you!" Remus insisted. "I just wanted you to know... "

"Great. I knew you worked there. You just look like there's more to you than handling books all day and I thought you'd like to escape from that and do something else. You're welcome to leave if you've changed your mind, though I'd love for you to stick around and help me."

"You haven't even told me what the quest is?"

"My friend - he's like a brother to me - has been taken," Sirius replied, the tiredness fading from his voice and rage replacing it. "He was taken from me and I've vowed vengeance on those that took him. I need to find him. We… we share a connection through a mirror and he left me some clues. The mirror only shows some runes so I had to work it out for myself, but I believe I'm on the right track."

"All this for a friend?" Remus asked. He envied the man. Hell, he envied the friend. For having someone that meant that much to them that they'd travel on the road even with a war raging around them, only to save one man. Remus would do it for his parents, and he told Sirius this.

"Not me. My brother perhaps, but not my parents."

"But you'd save your friend?"

"James is my family. There's more than one kind of family," Sirius informed him. "The one you're stuck with and the one you choose for yourself."

Remus considered his words. "I want to help," he insisted. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"It's okay, Remus, you didn't know any better," Sirius mumbled. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Remus repeated. He listened to Sirius' breathing deepen as he fell back to sleep, and tried to see the outline of his companion in the dark. Unfortunately the darkness hid Sirius' beautiful features.

...oOo...

Remus had spent every spare moment training his magic. Sirius had given him a chance and he didn't want to screw up and allow Sirius to get hurt.

But it happened anyway and Remus was the one left to heal him.

He focused his magic, trying to clear his mind, before flicking the wand. His eyes lingered of Sirius' bare stomach - the sword had cut into Sirius' hip - just a graze, but Remus had insisted on healing him.

The blood faded from the wound and it healed, leaving a jagged scar. "I'm sorry," Remus said, perplexed that he had failed.

Sirius examined the scar. "It's healed and that's all that matters."

"But if I were better, the skin would be flawless."

Sirius grinned. "I've heard that some people find scars sexy," he pointed out. "Your shield is getting strong. Your magic is improving quickly."

"Not as quickly as I'd like," Remus muttered. "We've been on the road for three days already. Tomorrow we go through the forest and we'll be arriving soon. I need to be good enough to have your back when you're fighting."

Sirius' smile softened. "Remus. I didn't bring you here to fight," he said. "When I said I was looking for a companion, I meant that I just didn't want to do this journey alone. I usually travel with James, but… I've been meaning to ask why you agreed to come with me."

"I was curious," Remus admitted. "I've seen so many people come in and search for the answers to whatever quest they're on. I've always picked up the books and wondered what they had learned and if the book had been useful. I guess… I was tired of being the one to put away the books. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bit scared - but at the same time, this is amazing. I never thought this would happen to me."

Sirius reached for a shirt, pulling it on. He shot Remus a wide grin. "You might _look_ like the bookish sort, but I knew there was more to you," he replied. "We had better get some sleep since we're going into the forest tomorrow."

...oOo...

Remus hoisted his pack further up his back as he walked quietly through the forest. They were crazy to be going through as the war was happening around them. Centaurs and giants fought for control of the forest, yet Sirius thought it was a good idea to cut through and save about twenty-two hours off their journey.

Remus would have prefered to go around, but he didn't get a say as Sirius was so determined.

"So, this entire journey I've been talking about James, or about what I'll do to those that took him," Sirius said, dropping back slightly so he could walk next to Remus. He kept his voice low as to not draw attention to them. "Tell me about your life - about your family."

Remus smiled. "It's just me and Mum," he murmured. "But she's the most amazing person in the world." As they walked, Remus told Sirius all about his mother, about his life and about what the quest meant to him. He was also very aware that they were walking so close together, their hands brushed on every other step, yet neither of them moved to put even the slightest bit of distance between them.

...oOo...

Remus could see the hatred in Sirius' eyes as they stopped at a tavern a mile from the old castle. "Sirius?" he asked softly, his hand gently pressing against Sirius' arm to get his attention.

Sirius didn't look. His grey eyes were fixed on a man in the corner and Remus wondered if Sirius was going to cause a scene in the bar. "That man… I recognise him. He was there when James was taken."

"How did it happen?" Remus asked.

"What?" Sirius replied, glancing at Remus before looking back.

"How did James get taken? Who took him?"

Sirius sighed. "It was my fault," he admitted, the hatred not leaving his eyes as he watched the man on the other side of the room. "That man… Lucius I believe he said his name was, was tasked with being a distraction. He flirted with me and I was so caught up in the attention, I didn't notice the attack on James until it was too late. If only I had paid better attention." He glanced at Remus one more. "We'll stay here for the night," he added. "James is in the castle, I just know it. So let's have a night of comfort before setting out to save him tomorrow. We can get food brought to our room. I don't want to risk Lucius spotting me. If he knows I'm here, they may move James elsewhere."

He headed to the bar, returning to Remus moments later. "This is the last room. One bed, I'm afraid."

Remus nodded slowly. One bed meant he would be laying side by side with the most handsome and charming man he had ever met. With the man who he had enjoyed travelling with.

"That's fine."

...oOo...

Remus could feel the presence beside him. Even when Sirius had stopped shifting around to get comfortable, Remus could almost feel the warmth from his body.

"You have me under your spell."

"What?" Remus turned quickly. "Did I accidently cast a spell on you?" he asked, concerned.

"No… I meant... " Sirius sighed. "That was me trying to say that I feel something for you."

"You do? What do you feel?" Remus asked, curiously.

"I love you. I hope you don't mind."

Remus smiled. "Only if you don't mind that I love you too."

Under the covers, Sirius' hand slipped across the space separating them, finding Remus' hand and holding it tightly.

"After this quest, what'll happen?" Remus asked.

"Whatever you want," Sirius insisted softly. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow we save James."

"This is frowned upon," Remus whispered.

"Do you think that matters?" Sirius replied. "I'm not going to hide how I feel."

"You're going to tell James?" Remus was doubtful. He had been in relationships before and everything had been kept so hidden, one of the men had even gotten engaged to a woman. Remus had ended things the moment he had found out, but wasn't prepared to enter another hidden relationship again.

"I will," Sirius assured him.

...oOo...

The only thing Remus knew to do was hold up shields and shoot healing spells at Sirius as Sirius spun around, slicing down another enemy with his sword. Blood splattered the walls, and bodies fell to the floor, but Remus watched, transfixed. He hadn't seen adventurers fight before, but even so, he knew that Sirius was one of the most skilled fighters ever.

It was hatred in Sirius' eyes as he brought the sword up as a new enemy approached. Remus could only watch as Sirius' fury at losing his friend was taken out on yet another minion. Lucius and the men who worked with him had fallen upstairs in what remained of the throne room.

"Can you unlock the doors?" Sirius asked, gesturing to one that led further down. "I think this'll take us to the dungeons."

Remus focused on the heavy wooden door. "Alohomora," he murmured. It took two tries, but the door clicked open and Sirius' hand rested on Remus' shoulder for a moment and he smiled warmly before walking to the door.

Remus followed as Sirius walked through, unable to keep the smile off his lips. Part of him didn't want the quest to end because everything about it felt right. He wasn't sure if the _right_ feeling was because he was finally doing something he had dreamed of for so long - or if it was because he was doing this with Sirius.

Perhaps both.

Another door and Remus managed to open it with one try. One by one, they unlocked the cell doors and looked in, finding them all empty. There were only three locked doors left when they found James. The man was weak and underfed, but alive.

Whilst Sirius assisted James, Remus unlocked the rest of the doors, ensuring they didn't leave someone behind. When he returned to Sirius, he could see the anger and hatred had completely faded as he helped his friend off the cold stone floor.

Remus pointed his wand, casting some healing spells and trying a warming spell. He had practiced them in the tent and they were weak, but he was sure that James was cold enough to feel the difference with the spell.

"That feels lovely," James murmured, his voice hoarse. "How long?"

"Two weeks," Sirius replied. "I struggled to find you at first, then it was a week to get here."

"Good of you to come."

"Of course. Out of the kindness of my heart. Speaking of hearts…"

"Whatever it is, tell me when we're on the way to the nearest town, the nearest warm meal and nearest warm bed," James insisted.

...oOo...

James joined them in the tavern the next day, looking a little more alive than he had when they had found him. Though he still looked pale, tired and underfed, but it would take time to recover.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked.

"Great," James replied, taking a seat and a deep breath.

"You don't look it," Sirius pointed out.

"I feel like shit, but I also feel great. I'm free from the cell, the guys who took me are all dead. What else is there to feel?" He looked between the pair. "Plus, my best friend is happy and in love. I'll get drinks to celebrate."

He stood up and headed towards the bar, and Remus turned to Sirius. "You really told him, didn't you?" he asked, shocked.

Sirius smiled softly. "Of course," he murmured. "He's my best friend. Why wouldn't I tell him I met the man of my dreams. I mean, he should be aware in case you say yes."

"Say yes to what?" Remus asked.

"Adventuring with me and James. If you don't want to, I'll come to yours and settle down and live whatever life you want. But if you want to stay with us, James managed to get hold of a map showing some hidden tunnels under some ruins. We talked about this last night. I checked on James when you fell asleep. I told him that I'm in love with you and that I'm not willing to part with you. He's happy with you to travel with us. What do you say?"

Remus beamed at him. "How could I say no to that?" he asked softly. "I'd follow you anywhere."

"I'd follow you anywhere too. Sirius grinned widely before leaning in and capturing Remus' lips with his own.

* * *

 **3000 words**

 **Thanks to Windy for helping**

 **Thanks to Bex for betaing**


	4. Four

Written for:

Meet Cute Marathon - I was unaware that there was an organised zombie crawl going on and I didn't realise you were in a costume. I screamed in your face because I truly thought I was facing a zombie invasion.

Hogwarts Assignment 3 - Herbology - Write about someone who wears a disguise

Gobstones - Pink stone: deception, accuracy: (action) yelling, Power: (action) tripping, technique: (object) knife

Weekly Snake: Hundred pacer: "Run, run, as fast as you can…"

Library Lovers - Fangirl: (plot) misunderstanding, (restriction) slash pairings only, (plot) giving up

Disney Challenge - Aladdin - Dialogue: "Sheesh, where'd you dig this bozo up?"

Book Club - Larry Underwood: "you're awfully cute when you're angry, [name]." (word) journey, (emotion) guilt

Showtime - (word) wicked

Days of the month - Write about someone who is forgotten

Count Your Buttons - Object: toothbrush, Dialogue: "We all know it's true." Word: dare

Lyric Alley - That things will get better

Television Show - Liza's Loves - Widow's Kiss - Write about somebody moving on

1000 prompts - Zombie AU

365 - Action: running

* * *

 **A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

 **Four**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

I was unaware that there was an organised zombie crawl going on and I didn't realise you were in a costume. I screamed in your face because I truly thought I was facing a zombie invasion.

* * *

Sirius couldn't help but smile as he walked down the street. Lucius' hand was wrapped around his waist. It had been an amazing third date. Lucius had been charming and they had enjoyed a nice dinner.

Okay, so Lucius was a little more posh than Sirius usually went for. He reminded Sirius of where he had come from - his parents and money and the upper-class. The things Sirius liked to forget. But Lucius hadn't taken no for an answer and finally Sirius had agreed to go on a date. One date became three and Lucius had not been subtle about where he expected the night to end.

Sirius was glad of the travel-toothbrush he had stored in the inside pocket of his coat along with some clean boxers and aftershave. He wasn't sure if this was an invite to spend the night or if he was supposed to get a taxi home afterwards, but didn't want to be unprepared.

"Is it far?" he asked, glancing around as they stopped at a road. A car passed and they quickly crossed.

"Not at all," Lucius murmured. "I've booked a room."

"Booked… booked a room?" Sirius frowned, glancing Lucius. "I thought we were going to yours. You said that you wanted to take things further."

"My place isn't suitable. I have some house-guests," Lucius replied swiftly.

"Yeah? Who?"

"Mother and Father are staying," Lucius said. "Really, Sirius. Do I have to explain everything to you?"

"You're right - I'm sorry," Sirius muttered. "A room is fine."

It wasn't, but Sirius felt like he couldn't disagree. After all, he couldn't demand to still go to Lucius' place when Lucius' parents were there. Lucius had already told him that his parents didn't know that he was dating a man.

They turned the corner onto the high-street and began walking. As they approached the hotel, Lucius' hand slipped from Sirius' waist and stroked his arse. "I can't wait to get you into our room," Lucius said.

Sirius had no reply. As he turned to look at Lucius, a group of men turned onto their street, distracting his attention. Sirius grabbed Lucius, pulling him away from the group. It wasn't safe because these men didn't look human. They looked terrifying. They looked like zombies. Sirius didn't want Lucius to get hurt. "Stay back," he yelled.

"Zombie apocalypse!" Lucius screamed, pulling his hand out of Sirius' and rushing past, knocking Sirius over in the process. Sirius stared up at the zombies who were all looking to where Lucius had run off, tripping as he tried to get away as quickly as possible. Sirius slowly got up, reaching for the little knife on his keys that he kept, whilst trying to make as little noise as possible.

"Run, run, as fast as you can…" a zombie muttered, frowning at the sight as he reached up to push his glasses up on his face. "Sheesh, where did you dig that bozo up?"

One turned around and a hand reached out. Sirius panicked. His knife wasn't ready so he brought his hand back and punched the zombie square in the face.

"Shit!" the man said, his hands coming up to cover his face. "Crap. That _hurt_!"

Sirius hesitated. He wanted to run, but he was curious about zombie marriages. Did zombies fall in love like regular people? He readied his knife. "If you even think about my brains, I'll end you," he threatened.

The man who had rushed to the zombie he had punched, turned to look at him. The man had beautiful eyes and dark-blonde hair that fell messily into his face in a very unzombie-like way. "I think there's been a misunderstanding," he said. "I'm Remus, this is James. It's James' birthday and… well, it was Peter's turn to organise things. I knew a zombie pub crawl was a bad idea. They were talking about doing one for Frank's stag-do but maybe this'll show them it's not a good idea."

"Wait - are you a zombie or not?" Sirius asked. This man could be a friendly zombie and they could perhaps become the first human/zombie relationship in the world. He brightened at the idea of dating a gorgeous zombie.

Remus chuckled. "By day, I'm a teacher. At night, I dress in stupid costumes because of my friends' whims. Are you okay? We didn't freak you out too much?"

Sirius didn't want to admit that he was disappointed. His brain was already considering zombies marrying humans in a Romeo and Juliet scenario. Instead he shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm sorry I punched your friend."

"James usually has it coming," Remus assured him. "I'm sorry we scared away your boyfriend."

"We haven't been together long enough to be boyfriends," Sirius muttered, frowning. "In fact, after that… I guess I'm single again."

"Do you want one of us to explain what happened?" another man walked over. "Fix things?"

"Nothing to fix," Sirius said. "I knew he was self-centred but just wanted to think that he was a good guy deep down, you know. But he's not. We were only dating for a couple of weeks so no loss." He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, have a good celebration. Sorry again that I punched your friend."

He turned around and began to walk, slipping the knife back in his pocket. He was glad that he didn't accidentally stab someone, but moments later, someone ran up to him.

"I'm James," the man said. "I get why you punched me. I'd have done the same thing if I thought a zombie apocalypse was happening. Actually, I would have probably been too scared to punch a zombie. Sorry about your date, but I have an idea."

"You do?" Sirius asked. He was curious now and hoped it would be something to make his evening better.

James grinned. "Well, that guy is probably wondering if you're zombie food right now. Why don't we go by his place and you can show him? Frank has some of the make-up tucked away in those large pockets of his coat."

Sirius grinned. "James, you are a brilliant man."

"Yeah, I hear that a lot," James replied, with a nod. "My friends think that terrorising a shitty ex is the best way to spend our night. We can go for drinks after - you're welcome to come."

"It's the perfect way to end this evening. It was supposed to be a shag and possibly spending the night together… though he booked a hotel and didn't tell me that we weren't going to his so I'm not sure if this was anything more than a bit of fun to him. But I'm glad I realised beforehand that he was useless. This will be much more satisfying."

"Well, I can't promise a hotel but you might be my friend's type so you might get a shag after all."

"James, you shut up," Remus shouted crossly, his arms folded against his chest.

"We all know it's true," James pointed out.

Sirius looked over at Remus. The other man did have beautiful eyes and was clearly attractive even when covered in zombie makeup. Sirius couldn't even begin to imagine how he looked without it.

"He does seem nice," Sirius commented quietly.

"Good. Let's make your ex cry and then go for a drink. Oh, and Remus wants me to tell you that he's single."

"I didn't ask!" Remus said, storming over so he was closer.

"You said it with your eyes, since they were on… this guy's arse when he turned to leave," James pointed out with a grin. "What's your name, mate?"

"Sirius. My ex, Lucius, lives just down the road. It's not a long journey at all."

"Great, this is going to be wicked." James turned around. "Frank, you're needed."

...oOo...

As Frank did his face, Sirius met the rest of the group. Peter, Gideon, Fabian, and Benjy.

"Now, how attached are you to your shirt?" Remus asked.

Sirius glanced down. "Not very. Lucius bought this for me the other day. He wasn't a fan of my clothes…"

"Okay good. I'm going to need to rip it. We need to smear some fake blood on," he said.

Frank moved away. "All finished," he said. "It only took me half-an-hour."

Sirius thanked him, turning his attention to Remus who was now standing close, fiddling with his shirt. "So… you come here often?" he asked.

"The high street?" Remus replied, amused. "Yes, often." His hand drifted down Sirius' arm and he blushed slightly as his fingers ghosted over the muscles. "It'd be a shame not to rip the sleeve off," he muttered. His eyes darted to Sirius'. "May I?"

Sirius grinned. "Go for it," he replied.

Remus grabbed a hold of the sleeve and ripped, causing a wide tear. His eyes focused on the tear, where the muscles Sirius worked hard to build up were showing. Sirius smirked when Remus' gaze lingered. "If you think that looks good, you should see me naked," he murmured seductively.

"Play your cards right, and maybe I will. But I don't put out on the first date." Remus focused on the other arm. "I'll rip this straight up from the cuff."

"How many dates before I see you naked?" Sirius asked, shifting a little closer.

"That depends. Are you willing to stick around after the first if I don't sleep with you?"

"Honey, you're gorgeous," Sirius insisted softly. "Let me take you to dinner and if you enjoy my company, we'll talk about our future."

"We've not even been on the first date and you're already mentioning a future together."

"What can I say… I can be very forward. I mean, Lucius didn't like when I…" the smile faded.

"Well I like it," Remus replied. "Dating is hard and it'll be nice to go out with someone who is clear on his intentions." He ripped the shirt again. "Now for the fake blood. That's James' job. He always did these insane pranks at school… let's just say he's the expert on how to make it look like you've been attacked by a zombie."

"How—"

"He was a zombie victim last year for Halloween. He faked his death back in school. The police were called in when they saw the blood… until it came back that it wasn't blood."

"James sounds awesome," Sirius replied. "I have to learn his secrets."

"So… before Lucius told you what you should wear… what's your style?"

"Boots, leather jacket, messy bun. Sometimes I wear shirts but most of the time I like my t-shirts. I can dress appropriately for fancy dinners and stuff, but I feel more comfortable like that. What's yours when you aren't out in ripped clothes?"

"Cardigans, jumpers. I like my layers keeping me warm."

"Sounds cute. I can't wait to see what you wear when I take you to dinner and a movie."

"Oh, so it's not just dinner?" Remus asked, as James began to add the blood to Sirius' shirt.

"Dinner won't give me enough time with you," Sirius pointed out. "That'd be too short of a date, I just don't really date much so don't know what else there is apart from dinner and the cinema."

Remus smiled. "So you actually want to date me?" he checked. "This isn't some rebound thing, right?"

James moved away, passing the bottle he had used back to Frank, who stored it away. Sirius moved closer to Remus, taking his hand. "Not a rebound at all," he promised. "You're more my type. I left behind the whole fancy dinner and dressing up when I ran away from home a few years ago. Not that I wouldn't take you to fancy places if you want… but you strike me as more down-to-earth and I like that." He used his grip on Remus' hand to pull him closer. "I like you."

"Let's do this," James said, spoiling the moment Sirius was trying to create. It had been perfect - Remus had been captivated, Sirius could see it in his eyes and he had just been about to go in for a kiss.

He looked at James, who smirked back. Yup. This was clearly revenge for the punch. Cockblocking. He narrowed his eyes at James.

...oOo...

They snuck up on the house, just as the door opened and Lucius walked back out.

"Don't be out there too long," came a female voice from inside of the house. "You know what these pregnancy hormones are doing to me."

"Get ready for bed - I'll be right there when I finish this," Lucius replied.

Sirius felt anger build up in him. Lucius' parents weren't there. His girlfriend or wife was, and she was pregnant. So Sirius was to be nothing more than an affair.

"Wanker," Remus hissed, looking around the side of the house. "I think we should make him do more than cry. I think we can make him piss himself in fear."

"You're awfully cute when you're angry, Remus," Sirius said, the corner of his lips quirking up.

"Remus' ex cheated on him," James muttered from behind them.

"Well, just to make things clear, I've never cheated on anyone I've dated," Sirius murmured, his hand resting on Remus' shoulder. "We can just go if this upsets you."

Remus turned, frowning. "Upsets me? What about you?"

Sirius shrugged. "I want revenge, but I don't want to be here if it upsets you."

Remus grinned. "That's thoughtful of you, but I wouldn't dare take this enjoyment away. Everyone ready? Sirius, you get between him and the door, and we'll run at him."

...oOo...

Sirius slipped his arms around Remus as the pair danced on the dance floor. "Do you know how I know you're not really a zombie?" he asked.

"How?"

"Because you're a good dancer. It's widely known that zombies can't dance. Do you know how you'll realise I'm not really one?"

"Because I saw you without the make-up?" Remus guessed.

"No. Because when you kiss me, you'll realise that a dead man can't kiss like that."

Remus considered his words. "Well, I was a little suspicious," he replied. "Maybe you need to prove that."

"Happy to." Sirius' fingers grazed the side of Remus' face before he leaned in for a kiss.

* * *

 **2370 words**


	5. Five

Written for:

Meet Cute Marathon - "i came to check out this support group but things have kind of been majorly sucking lately and you were there and i didn't even know anything was wrong but we've known each other for months what gives"

Assignment 2 - Wizarding Languages: Write about a different way of communicating.

Gobstones - Green stone: courage - (dialogue) "We can't change the past." (word) goal, (word) deprive

Serpent's Challenge - (object) mug

Scavenger Hunt - Write a Marauder's Era fic

Library Lovers - (AU) Disability, "You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible." "Tell me something good."

Writing Club - Character Appreciation - (object) muggle car

Count Your Buttons - James/Regulus, Object: perfume

Lyric Alley - But I get a little lonely

Liza's Loves - Write about Remus Lupin

1000 - fluff

365 - Deaf!AU

* * *

 **A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

 **Five**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

"I came to check out this support group but things have kind of been majorly sucking lately and you were there and I didn't even know anything was wrong but we've known each other for months what gives" (can make it so they don't know each other).

* * *

Sirius' fingers moved slow, the movements unpracticed. He had only been learning sign language for a month now and he was finding it a struggle. Where Sirius excelled in learning at school to the point where he could remember things that he had read only once, sign-language was something that didn't come naturally to him.

Sirius paused and looked around, trying to recall a word. After a moment, he began to spell the word, one letter at a time.

He told the support group of his accident and how he had spent a month without hearing only to find out from the hospital that it wouldn't come back in time. He felt like a fraud even being at the group, but since the accident he felt so alone. Everyone else there had been deaf for years or for their whole life even - whereas Sirius was new to it.

But he couldn't sit at home and pity himself any longer. His goal was to get out of the house and meet someone else anyone that he could connect with or talk with.

Finishing his story with shaking hands, Sirius took a seat once more, his eyes moving around the group in as someone replied.

...oOo...

Sirius clutched a mug of tea in his hands as he looked around. He felt like everyone had someone to talk to and wasn't sure what to do. He felt like he couldn't just participate in a conversation because hands moved faster than he could decipher and he would be lost.

His gaze fell on a man approaching. The man smiled softly and Sirius' eyes widened. Fine, he might still be recovering from the accident and the various tests the hospital did, yet his parents wanted a cure no matter what and agreed to everything), but none of that stopped him from noticing a handsome face.

'Hi.'

'Hi. I'm Remus.' Hands moved slowly and Remus took a moment to spell his name.

'I'm Sirius Black.'

'I know. You mentioned earlier. You look a little lost. Would you like to sit down?'

Sirius nodded his head and allowed himself to be led to a small table half-way across the room. He looked at the other man curiously.

'James' the other man said, his hands moving slowly, one letter at a time.

Sirius gave a nod and replied with his own name. 'It's nice to meet you both.'

'I'll go and get us more drinks,' Remus told them, his eyes darting between the pair and making sure that they were paying attention to his hands, before heading across the room.

'Was that your brother who brought you?' James asked hopefully.

'Yeah.'

'Is he single?'

"Is Remus?' Sirius replied.

James laughed. Sirius' smile fell. He could see the movement of James' body and wondered how he sounded. A reminder amongst many that he couldn't hear things everyone took for granted.

'Remus is single,' James confirmed. 'I'll get you a date with him if you get me one with your brother.'

Sirius wasn't even sure if Regulus liked blokes, but that didn't matter right now. Remus was cute and he had made an effort to approach Sirius at the meeting.

And it would be good to make friends with others like him. It'd help him learn sign-language quicker, if he was having conversations with it. When he had been living with his parents a month ago, his mother was in the habit of pulling him around and making him look at her mouth. She had no interest in learning sign-language and expected _him_ to lip-read as well.

It ended in Sirius leaving home, Regulus following him. Sirius hadn't asked Regulus why he walked out too, but he appreaciated having his brother at his side. Their Uncle had gotten them somewhere to stay and Sirius was in the process of finding a job.

Maybe Remus or James had some tips on how to do that?

'Tomorrow night,' Sirius said. 'Dinner.'

'Sounds good,' James replied with a smile.

...oOo...

Sirius took a breathe, his eyes closed. 'Mother was here?'

Reglus nodded. 'She asked me to come home,' he signed, his eyes darting down to the large sheet with the alphabet on it. The pair had printed it onto large paper and placed it around the house so they could learn.

"Of course she did. You can, you know. I'm the one that she doesn't want.'

'We can't change the past and get your hearing back, but there's no way I will leave you alone. I like this freedom and I wouldn't deprive you of my wonderful company."

Sirius smiled. 'I'm glad you're here,' he told Regulus. 'Would you do me a favour? I'd really owe you…'

Regulus nodded.

'Double date tomorrow. There was a cute guy at the meeting tonight and his friend said he'd get me a date with Remus if I can get him a date with you. You don't mind dating a bloke, right?'

Regulus considered it. 'Sure, why not," he replied with a shrug. 'It's not like I have to worry about mother anymore after all.'

'You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible,' Sirius agreed. 'Fuck what mother thinks!'

Sirius couldn't help but smile as they got out of Uncle Alphard's car to find James and Remus standing on the pavement outside of the restaurant. Remus looked adorable in his cardigan and Regulus gave him a small nudge. He had clearly been staring.

'Regulus, this is your date, James. This is mine; Remus.' He offered Remus his arm and gave a nod towards the place. Remus took it and grinned.

Once they were seated at the table, hands began moving as two conversations started.

Tell me something good,' Remus requested. 'At the meeting, you told us about leaving home and everything falling apart for you. Tell me something happy. What are your hobbies?'

Sirius thought about the guitar he had been learning. That wasn't happy. 'I'm an artist,' he said instead. He had always put painting second to music, but painting was something he could still do. 'I'll show you some of my work sometime?'

'I'd like that,' Remus replied.

'What about you?'

'I'm a writer,' Remus replied. 'I also work at the library. Maybe you can read my works sometime?'

'I'd love that,' Sirius replied happily. At that table, with his brother, a guy who he could happily be friends with, and a gorgeous guy to date, Sirius had never felt happier.

With this support, he felt like he could embrace his new life easier.


	6. Arranged

Assignment 2 - Wizarding Languages: Write about a language barrier (Two people who don't speak the same language)

Gobstones - Purple stone: appeal - (song) "Dream" by Imagine Dragons, (word) memory, (colour) gold

Serpent's Challenge - (word) luxury

Scavenger Hunt - Write a fic about another housemate's OTP

Library Lovers - The Fault in Our Stars - (genre) Hurt/Comfort, (relationship) first love (word) Infinity

Writing Club - Character Appreciation - Trait: loyal

Disney Challenge: Write about a rags to riches!AU

Book Club - (emotion) Hope, (action) pleading, (setting) garden

Showtime - (word) wishing

Count Your Buttons - Word: Official

Lyric Alley - But I don't wanna let it go

A Year in Entertainment - "Don't try to fight this feeling"

Liza's Loves - Write an arranged marriage!AU

1000 - Relationship: married

365 - - "Okay so we got married because of royal duties but I don't speak a word of your language… How do I communicate to you how hot I think you are?"

* * *

 **So, this is not for the meet-cute marathon challenge, but I thought it was fitting for the collection.**

* * *

A Wonderful Arrangement

Omega-verse

* * *

Sirius could understand every second line that was said to him. The priest was doing the ceremony, but saying the line twice - once in each language, which was making for a long official ceremony.

Sirius didn't mind. He only planned on getting married once. As an Omega, he didn't really have much choice in that, but he did have a choice in husbands. Regulus, having become the king (Omegas weren't allowed to rule), allowed Sirius the choice.

Tradition meant for a marriage to an Alpha from a neighbouring kingdom and usually the Alpha in charge of the Omega would make the choice based on the kingdom's needs. Wealth, trading opportunities, stopping a pending war. Thankfully the kingdom of Slytherin had more gold than it knew what to do with, had good trading with all kingdoms and wasn't at immediate risk.

The Alpha princes of all of the nearby kingdoms were called in. Ted from Hufflepuff and James from Gryffindor arrived quickly and Sirius had spoken to James about choosing him. After all, James was a friend and sometimes they wrote to each other. Better a friend than a stranger.

But the moment he locked eyes with Remus Lupin two days later, Sirius was smitten by the mild, quiet Alpha. The man didn't understand a word that Sirius said, but that made no difference. Ted was a nice guy, James was a good friend - but there was something about Remus that captivated Sirius.

He didn't waste time in telling his brother of his choice. When a translator told Remus the news, Remus looked delighted and Sirius couldn't help but smile at the look on his face.

Remus returned the next day. Sirius following a week later for the wedding. The next time he saw Remus was at the altar.

"I now pronounce you husband and husband, Alpha and Omega," the priest said.

Sirius was snapped out of his memory at the words and he shyly turned to his husband. Remus looked nervous, hesitating on what to do, so Sirius took a step closer, tilting his head up slightly and pressing a soft kiss against the lips of the taller man.

He hoped the hesitation wasn't because of disinterest. He hoped that even though this was an arranged marriage, they could make something real out of it.

He stepped back, his hand reaching out for Remus, and Remus smiled shyly.

...oOo...

Ravenclaw was a poor country. The only reason his parents had sent Remus to meet the Omega prince was because of the wealth that would come with him were he to choose Remus.

Remus didn't have much hope in being picked. He wasn't as one expected an Alpha to be. He was quiet and liked to read. Yes, he was trained to do things like fight, but everyone expected him to become a beta.

Before arriving, Remus had hoped not to be chosen. It seemed strange for the Omega's brother to even allow him the luxury because he had heard stories about the bloodline in Slytherin. King Orion and Queen Walburga had been cruel rulers as had the royal line before them. The land had been taxed heavily and the people treated badly. He couldn't even imagine what the princes were like.

Though there was another part of him that knew he should make the effort. They money would help their kingdom recover from the previous war it had faced. Plus, it would give them Slytherin as an ally. He just didn't want to marry for those reasons. He always thought when he married, there would be _more_ to it. That he would marry for love.

But when he arrived at the castle - his eyes falling on Sirius for the first time, Remus was completely lost. He had never seen someone so handsome before and the moment their eyes locked, he felt something inside of him shift. He felt the need to beg for Sirius to pick him, the need to begin pleading his case as to why he was the best Alpha. He felt the need to impress him somehow, but he restrained himself, trying to act as the Prince of Ravenclaw should. Instead he began sizing the other Alphas up, wondering where they stood in competition.

Dinner was served a short while later, and it wasn't long before he saw the two Slytherin princes talking quietly, their eyes both falling on him. As dinner drew to a close, Regulus made the announcement to the three Alphas that his brother had chosen… him. At first Remus didn't understand the words but his translator confirmed what had happened. Remus couldn't believe it. Did Sirius feel the same when he first looked into Remus' eyes?

...oOo...

A party followed, which Remus tried to participate in. He wasn't one for parties, but Sirius seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. Though he didn't know the language and couldn't communicate with a lot of people there, he still was smiling widely as people congratulated him. Food was served, music played, and Remus was terrified to approach his husband.

Sirius found him. He reached for Remus' hand and nodded towards the dance-floor hopefully whilst holding one finger up.

First dance, Remus assumed. He nodded and allowed Sirius to lead them to the dance-floor. The music quickly changed and Remus carefully wrapped his arms around Sirius, trying to be careful.

Sirius rolled his eyes and pulled Remus' arms tighter, before wrapping his own around Remus' neck. Remus began leading the dance and his eyes fell to Sirius' lips.

Sirius had kissed him at the wedding. Kisses were traditional though, so maybe it meant nothing.

Or maybe it meant that Sirius would be open for more?

He didn't allow himself to try and kiss Sirius again. People were watching and he would have to find a way to communicate with Sirius without a translator. He didn't want a third party expressing his feelings about the marriage. Maybe after the party, he would find a way?

...oOo...

Marriage was difficult, Remus decided. The people were celebrating the marriage of their beloved prince, but behind the scenes, he couldn't even communicate with his husband. It wasn't perfect at all because the language barrier stopped them from being together, but Remus was determined to override that somehow. He was going to communicate with Sirius in a way everyone could understand. There was no point in wishing that they could speak to each other - that would come in time. There were more important things to work out.

Pictures were universal. Everyone could understand pictures.

He found Sirius walking around the gardens. Glad that the evening was warm, Remus approached, coughing so Sirius would be alerted that he wasn't alone.

Sirius turned around and Remus held up some parchment. He gestured to a stone bench nearby, before heading over and sitting on the ground next to it. Sirius sat next to him, watching him curiously.

On one side of the paper, he drew a stick figure of himself, pointing between himself and the stick figure. "Remus," he said. On the other side, he drew another, before pointing between it and Sirius.

He considered how to continue.

Sirius reached for the quill and Remus let him take it. Underneath the names Remus had written, Sirius copied them into his own language. Between the two people, he drew a heart, a smiley face and then a sad face. Sirius glanced at Remus before pointing to his wedding ring and then at the three symbols.

Remus quickly understood. The three symbols were their answers. Sirius pointing at his wedding ring meant he was asking how Remus felt about getting married.

After a long moment, Sirius looked slightly impatient. He pointed at his ring again, pointed at himself and finally at the heart. His gaze found Remus' again and he watched him hopefully.

Remus touched the ring and touched the heart on the parchment.

Sirius beamed at him.

Remus touched his lips before reaching out to touch Sirius' lips. He nodded towards the parchment hoping that Sirius would understand the question. He wanted to kiss Sirius, to show Sirius that he wanted this.

Sirius touched the heart, shifting closer. It was clear he understood the question and Remus leaned in, placing a soft kiss to his husband's lips.

Sirius' smile softened and he reached for Remus' hand, taking the quill and turning the parchment over. He quickly drew two chairs with them sitting on them. Two thrones, Remus realised. He drew a smiley face over the picture.

Next to it, he drew two more thrones. These thrones didn't have space between them as the other one did. He drew them both on the thrones, holding hands. Over the picture he drew a heart.

Remus realised what he was asking. They would rule together one day - would they be a marriage of convenience that could do what they were supposed to and continue the bloodline? The smiley face meant that they could be happy that way still. There was no sad face, showing that Sirius was happy to be there. But the second picture determined that there was an option to really be together in a relationship - to allow themselves to fall in love.

Remus drew a line through the first one and pointed at the other. He gestured between the both of them and put his hand over his heart.

Sirius' gaze dragged down his body slowly. His hand pressed against Remus' leg and the other hand turned the parchment back over. As his hand moved up Remus' leg, he gestured to the previous symbols. Heart, happy, sad.

Was Sirius merely asking if it was okay to touch Remus or was he saying he wanted more? Remus wasn't sure what the question was and looked at Sirius in confusion.

Sirius watched his expression before turning to the parchment. Sirius drew a picture of Remus, a picture of a knotted bit of rope and finally a picture of himself. Checking to make sure that Remus was watching, he pointed to Remus, pointed to the knot, to Remus' lap and then to himself.

Remus took the quill and drew a picture of a bed.

Sirius touched the drawing of the heart and Remus' finger pressed against it. He took the quill and drew the infinity symbol, hoping Sirius realised that he wanted this marriage to last. He wanted to be with Sirius for the rest of his life.

Sirius beamed at him before grabbing Remus' hand, pulling him up off the ground. "Now?" Remus asked as Sirius led them back towards the castle.

...oOo...

That night, Sirius lay curled up in Remus' arms looking content. He was on the verge of sleep and Remus could only stare at his husband in amazement. Even without words, they had understood each other in bed. Just by their gestures and expressions and tones of voice. It was perfect.

As he lay there under the golden sheets, he hoped that he could make Sirius happy. He hoped that there was enough luxury in the castle to please Sirius who had most likely grown up in extravagance.

"Don't try to fight this feeling," Sirius murmured, realising Remus was overthinking things. Remus stared back in confusion and Sirius leaned up, placing a kiss on Remus' lips.

He pressed his hand against him chest before pointing at the smile on his lips and gesturing to Remus. "I'm in love with you," he continued.

"I think I'm already falling in love with you," Remus replied softly, having no idea what Sirius was saying to him and realising he could tell Sirius his own feelings without being scared that Sirius didn't feel the same way.

The two men sighed, wondering what the other had said. One day they would be able to say those words and have the other understand. Another kiss was shared and they shifted closer, ready to go asleep.

* * *

Review please :) 


	7. Six

Meetcute: Person A is a superhero and is in love with their superhero partner/sidekick/nemesis, Person B. (optional: But Person B rejects them since they have a crush on Person A's civilian-self and neither of them knows who the other is at first.)

Assignment 3 - Mythology - Write about someone making a wise decision

Gobstones - Orange stone: injustice, Accuracy - (emotion) scared, Power - (word) express, Technique - (trait) loner

Snake Challenge - California King Snake: Superhero

Scavenger Hunt - Write a fic featuring the item: The mirror of Erised

Library Lovers - The Supernaturalist: "In comic books, people with gifts become superheroes; in real life they become outcasts." Developing a new ability. (word) ditto

Disney Challenge - Word set: Hypnotised/short/happy

Book club - (word) outcast, (emotion) jealousy, (action) betraying someone

Character Appreciation - (word) family

Showtime - "It's clear we deserve each other."

Days of the Month - Write a fic featuring two or more Order members

Count Your Buttons - Take Us Home - Alan Doyle, "You can't hide forever." Character: Minerva, word: fruit

Lyric Alley - The weight's off my shoulders

A Year in Entertainment - (object) cane

Liza's Loves - Write about someone in a hospital ward

1000 - Shapeshifter!AU

365 - Superhero!AU

* * *

 **A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

 **Six**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Person A is a superhero and is in love with their superhero partner/sidekick/nemesis, Person B. (optional: But Person B rejects them since they have a crush on Person A's civilian-self and neither of them knows who the other is at first.)

* * *

As a child, Sirius knew the Mirror was an important item to his family. His parents - infamous for their deeds - practically worshipped the item. When they looked into it, it told them what they wanted to steal next. It told them how. The Mirror of Erised (or the mirror that reflected desire) showed what you wanted and his parents wanted to become the greatest villains in the world.

At thirteen, Sirius' powers finally manifested themselves. His parents had brought him up, telling him that his powers would be great. Just like Orion and Walburga, his powers would compliment someone else's, leading him to find his sidekick or partner - just like his parents found each other.

But with his powers - well, the first power to appear, came disappointment. Instead of something he found awesome, Sirius' power was to disable that of other people's powers. Living in a house with two super-villains and his younger brother whose powers were soon to be manifesting, this was a very unwelcome power and his parents made sure to tell him whenever they could.

Their powers were useless whilst Sirius was there, and as his seventeenth birthday approached, his father approached him with a large amount of money and a request never to see him again - for him to stay away from them. Sirius reluctantly took it - the reluctance was because he didn't want to leave.

There was no reluctance when he took the mirror with him.

...oOo...

"We've been watching you, you know."

Sirius spun around, his eyes falling on the man standing, waiting to have his order taken.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," he replied. "What would you like today?"

"Two teas, two pieces of whatever cake you like and ten minutes of your time."

Oh. The guy probably thought he had a chance. Sirius would let him down gently. "Just ten minutes," he replied. He glanced at the other girl working with him. "Kayleigh, can you cover so I can take my break in a few?"

She nodded her head, moving to the counter to ring up the order as Sirius went to get the teas ready. It didn't take him long to pick out some banana bread that had been tempting him for the last two hours and a couple of pieces of fruit from the bowl, and he headed over to the table in the back corner.

"I'm James," the man said, his eyes following Sirius' movements as Sirius sat down and lifted each cup from the tray, followed by the plates with cake. "It's nice to finally meet you, Sirius."

"You know my name," Sirius said, frowning slightly. "How?"

"I've been watching you. For a few months. This isn't a social call unfortunately, though it is good to meet you. A relief really… "

Sirius leaned back, his gaze narrowing as he took the man in. "So it's business. Clearly not about my job here so it's about… my parents."

"No. Actually, it's all about you."

"Liar," Sirius sighed. "Whenever you people look for me, it's about my parents. Do I want to tell you all their secrets? Do I know where their latest lair is?" He rolled his eyes. "This is getting old. I'm trying to make a life for myself - trying to reinvent myself and each time, someone thinks it's okay to disrupt my life because of someone I'm unfortunate enough to be related to."

James smiled. "It's not like that," he replied. "In fact, I'm glad you're reacting this way. I was worried when reading our report on you - I considered you could be like your parents."

"Yeah? Well, I'm nothing like them," Sirius said. "Get to the point, James, what do you want?"

James reached for his tea, taking a sip out of it, before setting the cup back down. "You haven't chosen a side."

"Like I said, I'm reinventing myself," Sirius replied. "I don't need to choose a side because I'm useless in your world. In mine, I go to college and I'll get a good job. I can make something of myself out here."

James nodded. "That's understandable. A lot of heroes and villains go and do their own thing - they want out of this life. But I was tasked in meeting with you. You didn't respond well to other other agents."

"You mean Snivellous?" Sirius said with a snort. "That greasy-haired bat came to my last job acting like he was better than me."

"From what the report said, you managed to disable his power for six months."

"It's the most I could manage without physically touching him," Sirius replied. "It took a lot out of me though and I lost my job."

"Was it worth it?"

"I didn't like his attitude, his hair, or his face. I didn't like the way he walked into the other cafe and started ordering me around - telling me to wipe down the table, making me rush around after him and then expect me to sit down and do what I was told. He didn't like that I wasn't impressed by him. I don't like people like that."

James snickered. "Snivellous. I like it," he said. "I've had a few run ins with him."

"You work for the Order too, right? Why do you have a file on me?" Sirius demanded. "James, I don't have a lot of time so get to the point."

"Because we keep track of everyone with powers. Those that haven't picked sides are priority because we have to plan what'll happen if they pick the other side. You're Sirius Black, the son of two of the most infamous villains, though they are being overshadowed by a new villain calling himself Voldemort."

"What kind of name is that?" Sirius scoffed.

"Yeah I know. People don't have imagination anymore," James said, rolling his eyes. "Your cousin Bellatrix is one of his team."

"Wait. A team?"

James nodded. "But we need you for something… special. We need your help and you might be the only one able to do what I need you for."

"'We' or 'I'?" Sirius asked.

"What?"

"You said 'we' need your help, then you said: 'I' need you'. So which is it? We or I?"

"There are reports that one of Voldemort's men has the power to create wolf-shifters. The man is known as Greyback. We've seen a few in the army Greyback has been building, but the latest one has gone rogue from them. We've attempted to stop him, but this shifter is out of control. I've been told that we have one more chance to stop what he's doing - if he refuses, we have to stop him in a less humane way."

"I thought the Order didn't kill," Sirius pointed out.

"We don't," James sighed. "But they believe there may not be any other choice. It's why I'm here."

"What can I do?"

"You can take his power away long enough for us to talk to him. With you there, he's only a man."

"And you're only men and women too," Sirius pointed out.

"Exactly. There is no threat and perhaps that's enough to garner his attention."

Sirius considered it. James was there to save a life and… and for once, Sirius' power would come in handy. He could actually help someone.

"I work."

"We'll pay you," James replied swiftly. "Put you on retainer - each job you help with, you get paid."

"College."

"You have a half-term coming up. I checked."

Sirius sighed. "How do you know I won't go rogue and betray you?"

"Because we've never faced you before. If you were to explore your power better and be taught how to control it, expand it, focus it, you'd be a force to be reckoned with."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Sirius. You don't really think that you were born with one power, do you? You have two powerful parents - which means you have at least one more power hidden somewhere. You are so focused on the way you block powers that you've subconsciously blocked your own."

"Or I'm faulty and have one power. But why am I a force?"

"Because if you could focus your power, you could choose who it works on. You could make it so it doesn't just affect those that are around you - you can make it linger. You could learn to switch it off."

"I've tried."

James smiled warmly. "You know, from the age of thirteen, my parents could barely see me. My invisibility started. I went into training. I'm not overly controlled over it - I mean I'm nineteen - it's taken six years to get a handle on it, but I worked hard."

"How did you manage it?" Sirius asked, curious.

"I was trained to think of the power as a cloak," James explained. "Now when I want to be invisible, I imagine it as though I'm putting a cloak on. When I take the cloak off, I'm visible."

"Do you think…"

"We can train you," James insisted. "Come with me. Do this job and let me train you, you can't hide forever. You don't truly belong to this world - we belong to ours. This bloke - whoever he is - is going to become a part of Greyback's army - a part of Voldemort;s forces. We're not asking you to fight Voldemort - we're asking you to find this guy and save him before Voldemort can use his mind tricks to look into his mind and change his perception of things. Voldemort can put fake thoughts and memories and even visions into minds. He can cause people to be hypnotised by his words alone. We need you."

Sirius reached for his banana bread, taking a bite and considering the offer. Not once had anyone mentioned that his powers could be refined - or believed that he could have more. It all made so much sense. James waited patiently, drinking his tea and eating as he allowed Sirius to consider his options.

"Sirius, it's been almost an hour," Kayleigh complained, storming over.

Sirius glanced around. There was one customer approaching the counter. He frowned. He had always arrived there early, always worked harder than anyone and didn't say anything when she went on about twenty cigarette breaks a day. Some days, Sirius didn't even take a break.

"It's been thirty-five minutes," he replied frostily. "If I add up all your smoking breaks, I'm sure that they come to much more than that, so you might want to get back to work."

She stared at him and Sirius stared right back.

"I'll call Paula."

"Go ahead," he replied, before turning back to James. "You know, your offer sounds better and better, though there's a chance my boss will be a bitch about this week's pay if I walk out. So let's talk payment. Leaving today means I have no job."

"I'm sure we can work something out. Come with me, I'll bring you to headquarters."

"You mean you'll show me where it is?"

James laughed. "Of course. You're one of us now… right?"

"You trust me?"

"Oddly enough I do."

...oOo...

The first thing Sirius saw when he walked into the Order's secret base was a stern woman. She held a file in her hand and walked over, assessing the group.

"Professor McGonagall. She's one of the Professors here," James muttered.

"Really? I'd never have guessed by your use of the word Professor," Sirius replied.

"She's second in command. She reviews cases and she might look strict but she's lovely… even though she can transfigure things."

"Why is that scary?"

"Because when a boy was constantly late to class, she turned him into a clock for a few hours. Another was turned into a map when he insisted he got lost six times."

"Ah," Sirius murmured. "She can't do that to me."

"Yeah I know, but she's still scary. Fair but scary."

"Mr Black, we were hoping to see you one day, though that day wasn't supposed to be today." Her gaze moved to James. "You went out to find him?"

"I think he's an asset."

"I don't disagree," Minerva replied. "But you know the rules. You're not allowed to bring people in here without authorisation - and Mr Black's mind can't be altered considering his powers."

"James said you needed my help. He said someone here could help me with my powers," Sirius replied. "I want to help. I… I would like to find out more about myself - if I have any other powers."

"He was working in a coffee-shop," James said.

"I was building up work experience whilst I go to college," Sirius replied with a frown. "But James told me that you need my help before… something bad happens to someone. I'll do what I can."

She nodded. "Alice will fit you for a costume."

"I don't need…" he trailed off at the stern look that was fixed on him.

"Mr. Black, there are many ways for this situation to be explained. Someone could let slip that the man inside of the monster managed to break free. Your family do not need to know of your involvement. You don't have a commitment to us and therefore you could end up in danger if they know what you did. However, a costume will hide your identity."

"And if you did make a commitment to us… well, we'll help you with your powers to the point where they wouldn't even realise it was you. After all, your parents know you as someone who just blacks out all powers around him. What if you were fighting and only disabled one person? Would they know it was you or… or would they suspect a new hero?"

"They tried to teach me how to use my powers. It didn't work so they wouldn't think it was me," Sirius replied. "But they tried and failed, what makes you think you can?"

"Because you did it with Severus," Minerva explained. "His power was gone for months. Before, we've only noted that your power affects those that are close-by and when they leave, they aren't affected anymore."

"I refuse to work with him," Sirius warned.

"Severus' talents aren't required for this job," Minerva said. "Like you, we want this individual brought in quietly. We much appear non-threatening. You know how to fight - I can't imagine your parents not training you in hand-to-hand. Reports that you do boxing two evenings a week and you go jogging every morning. James and Peter will go with you."

"Peter?"

"Peter's cool," James insisted. "He has this calming… way about him. He's just someone you feel you can relax around."

"You all know how to fight and defend yourselves. There will be backup of course, though no one can use their powers. There will be a helicopter ready to collect you."

"Do you know where he is?" Sirius asked, eager to get started.

Minerva shook her head. "Unfortunately not. He disappeared twelve hours ago and we have the entire team looking into reports of damage and… when we find him, you'll leave straight away. Frank and some others are going on ahead only to stall him and keep him away from civilians and try to lure him somewhere and keep him there ready for your arrival." She gave a slight smile. "Once your powers are in control, you can reign it in long enough to travel with Frank."

"Right. So what do I need?"

"In the future you'll need a go bag - change of clothes, maybe a book or music player, charger - stuff in case we're gone overnight. We keep those here in case we need to leave at a moment's notice. For now - get to Alice. Frank will show you the way - he's an expert in the way to Alice's Attic."

"The attic?"

"She's on the top floor but the name was more about alliteration than anything," James explained. "I'll fill you in with more details about what we're working on whilst we see her. Do you have any preference in hero name and costume?"

"Name?" Sirius shook his head. "My power doesn't really bring anything to mind."

"Dog Star?"

"My parents will know," Sirius replied. "There was something I came up with as a kid… before I had powers…."

"What is it?"

"The Grim," Sirius replied. "What's your name?"

"The Golden Stag," James replied proudly. "I managed to shapeshift into a stag. It's not the most useful form, but I look… I look grand."

Sirius snorted. "I'm sure you do," he replied.

"Yeah. The Grim sounds awesome. Keep it. It doesn't have to have anything to do with your powers - I think it just works."

"What happens if he doesn't appear?" Sirius asked.

James shrugged. "They usually re-emerge at some point."

Sirius thought back to the mirror. His family had made it so it could only be used by a member of the Black family. He himself looked into it often.

He never told anyone, but when he looked in, he saw himself with his own family. Not Orion and Walburga, but a family he found for himself. Maybe someone who loved him. Though his lover never had a face in the mirror, Sirius was hopeful that one day he could lead a normal life and find someone - so the reflection could finally complete itself.

For a long time, a man around his age had visited the coffee shop, either reading a book in the corner or bringing a notebook and scribbling away page after page and Sirius had always slipped him an extra flake or made sure he gave the gorgeous stranger the larger pieces of the cakes he ordered, but the stranger had stopped turning up and Sirius had given up hope.

After all, all people had to do was look his name up on the computer to find out who he was - and once they did, everyone left.

"I think I may have a way to find him," Sirius said softly. "When I left home, I stole an artifact. My parents owned a mirror. The Mirror of Erised - it reflects what you desire. If you don't say anything, it shows what you truly want - but you can make requests. It helped them with a lot of their jobs. Perhaps it'll do the same for us."

"Great, can I—"

"It only works for my family. I can make the request once we're done here," Sirius insisted.

...oOo...

"Show me where to find him," Sirius said. He clutched the case file in his hand and looked into the mirror.

"Do you see anything?" James asked, avoiding commenting on the tiny flat. Sirius ignored him - he hadn't wanted to waste the money his father had given so he rented a cheap flat until he knew what he wanted to do.

Sirius shook his head. "Not yet. I… I try not to look in the mirror anymore."

There was a long silence and Sirius watched James' reflection. "What do you usually see?"

Sirius hesitated for a long time. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," James insisted. "We're friends."

"Are we?" Sirius retorted. "I thought you were here just because you needed my help."

"That's why I came. I think you're not so bad and I think you just need someone to give you a chance so you can show people what a great guy you are. To be honest, you look pretty lonely."

"People are scared of me," Sirius admitted softly. "In comic books, people with gifts become superheroes; in real life they become outcasts."

"But you could get to know other outcasts," James replied, his voice softening. "Me for a start. I like you, I want to be your friend."

Sirius considered it. James was nice and he felt he could trust James. "I see a family in there. Not the one I had - a new one. I see a… someone who loves me, though his features aren't clear because I haven't chosen him yet. I look happy."

"You can be happy," James insisted. "The Order… we're like a family. Once you're one of us, we'd do anything for you."

"I don't want Snivellous to be family," Sirius muttered.

"Well, not him. You have me and that's a start. Yes, we need your help - but we're not going to abandon you afterwards. I promise that, and I'll help you find what you see in that mirror."

Sirius trusted him. He ignored James' reflection and he tried to push aside the longing feeling he felt as he observed the people standing around him. He focused hard on what he wanted.

"He's trapped underground - on the underground. There's an abandoned station. A trap of some sort. Greyback perhaps…"

"You know how to get there?"

Sirius focused hard. Three people lingering there, but more could arrive before the Order did. He silently asked the mirror for the best route to the tunnel.

"I have a way in," he finally said, committing it to memory before turning to James. "Get a team together. With me there, you won't be able to use your powers. We need strong fighters and we need to be quick otherwise more of them could arrive. We need weapons."

...oOo...

Sirius frowned as they walked into the abandoned station. "There were guards," he insisted, pulling at the black leather outfit Alice had made for him. "Three that I could see."

"Are you sure? The mirror—"

"My parents used to use this mirror to plan their heists. Ways in and out, guards - all of the information they needed. It never once lied so it wouldn't know. Something feels wrong."

James looked around. "I can't even scout to check it out," he murmured.

"Sorry."

"No - we called you in so you could do just this," James replied. He raised his arm, pointing to a light in the distance. "In the cage there."

Sirius squinted towards the light. He could see a wolf-like beast throwing itself against the bars.

"Okay. We get him and carry on through that tunnel. There's enough turns there for him to get himself dressed. Peter will scout ahead whilst I guard behind us and you'll keep him calm and keep him human. I'll back you up in case he gets problematic."

"Got it," Sirius said. "Let's get in there. You have your weapon ready?"

"Hopefully we won't have to use them," James said. "Maybe they thought that this location wouldn't be found? Maybe the guards you saw earlier weren't guards - they were here for another purpose?"

"Perhaps," Sirius murmured. He began walking, his eyes looking around. Peter and James held their weapons, keeping guard, but Sirius' focus was on the man.

The hair and fur began to shorten and the crack of bones as the changed shape, making the beast change into a man. He cried out in pain, his head turning each way. "Hello? Where am I?" His fingers reached out and he gripped a bar. "Is anyone there? What's… what's happening to me?"

Sirius could hear the pain and panic in the man's voice. Clearly he had no idea what had been happening. He moved quicker, trusting the other two to keep him safe. "Hey, we're here to get you out."

The man turned quickly and Sirius almost froze. He'd recognise those eyes anywhere. It was the man from the coffee shop. This explained why he had disappeared.

"What happened?" the man asked. "Why do I keep waking up here, injured?"

"We'll tell you when you're safe and dressed." Sirius passed a blanket through the bars. "Here."

They gave him a moment to wrap the blanket around himself before Peter moved closer, making quick work of the lock.

"Good job," Sirius murmured, considering that he should add lockpicking skills to his talents at some point since he wasn't much use elsewhere. Perhaps Peter would train him?

The cage door swung open and the man stumbled to his feet. "You all have masks on."

"Superheroes," James said as Sirius was too busy staring. "We're here to rescue you so let's get out of here whilst we have the chance."

"I can't move fast," Remus muttered reluctantly. "Perhaps you should all just get out quickly. I'll follow."

"No!" Sirius exclaimed before anyone else could speak up. "I'm not leaving you behind." He moved closer, wrapping an arm around Remus and offered support. Usually he didn't touch people because he didn't know how it would affect their powers, but Remus was wrapped in a blanket and Sirius had his costume on. "I've got you."

James moved around Remus' other side, offering help and Peter rushed on ahead to check if the route was clear. As he did so, James and Sirius found a safe place halfway up the tunnel, allowing Remus some privacy to dress. When James handed Remus a cane, Remus was shocked.

"How did you know?"

"I've seen shapeshifting go wrong before. You were forced to shift and we suspect you were in that form for a while, so… we have a healer, but circumstances meant that she couldn't come with us. When we get back, she can help you with the pain."

"Circumstances?" Remus asked, leaning heavily on the cane as they began walking up the tunnel again.

James nodded. "I'll explain back at base," he said. "This tunnel is the shortest—" he was cut off as the ceiling suddenly collapsed in front of them. Stones flew in their direction, knowing the three of them back.

"Peter?" James called frantically, getting up and ignoring the blood trickling down his head. "Peter, are you okay?"

"I am," came a faint voice from the other side of the rocks. James climbed up carefully, searching for a way through and finding a small hole.

Sirius followed, ready to dig their way through.

"What happened?" he called, pushing James aside and looking through.

Peter hesitated. "James, I'm sorry," he said, sighing. "I couldn't refuse."

"Refuse what?" James said, nudging Sirius away so he could look through the gap.

" _Him_ ," Peter said. "I can be a part of the Death Eaters." He had the decency to look ashamed at his actions.

"Traitor," Sirius hissed. "When we get out of here…"

"That's the thing: you won't ever get away. They know you're in there. When we came in, they blocked up the entrance. I've blocked up this tunnel. Before we arrived, they blocked all the other routes. They'll come for you and you don't have any powers to get yourselves out." He turned and walked away, leaving the three alone.

"What do we do now?" James asked frantically.

Sirius took a deep breath, thinking. "I'm currently blocking Remus' powers," he said, before turning to Remus. "If I stop blocking your power, do you think your wolf form could get us out?"

Remus shook his head. "I don't have control over my shapeshifting. Shapeshifters can usually retain their human mind during a shift - but with the powers used on me, I'm nothing more than a mindless beast that'll kill anyone. I'll just keep trying to attack you and won't even look twice at the rocks."

"We need to choose now. We either try and dig our way our, or search the other tunnels and hope," James stated.

"I don't think he was bluffing. This seems too planned." Sirius observed the stones. "I say that we try and clear the stones. James, me and you get to the top and start rolling them down. Remus, you move the ones we send down out of the way."

Remus nodded. "I can climb up with you—"

"You'll be more useful clearing so we can roll more down," James insisted. "Let's do this."

...oOo...

"You're alive!" Frank exclaimed, before groaning and dropping against the side of the wall. "I knew you had to be because it was so hard to teleport into this tunnel. Sirius' powers were creating a barrier but there were moments where the barrier… wavered somewhat so I kept trying."

"You thought we were dead?" James asked, not stopping what he was doing even though he was shocked to see Frank.

"Peter came back and told us that you all were dead. I… I wouldn't let myself believe it. Alice was in tears so I had to make sure. Why would he—"

"He betrayed us," Sirius snapped. "Help us clear these rocks so we can get out."

"Wait," Remus muttered, twisting around. "I can hear… they're in the main tunnel where my cage was. They're coming for us."

James looked between the wall and Sirius. "Sirius, there's a way out - you know there is. You."

"Me?" Sirius asked.

James nodded. "Frank can usually only teleport one person at a time. Well, he can do it without much strain. Three will use up all of his energy. But that's the thing - overdoing his power can tire him and make his power less effective. But he can get us out of here if we can stop your power."

"I've tried."

"Well you need to try again," James said firmly. "Look, when Snape approached you, your anger caused you to focus your powers on him and take away his power for six months. You need to focus your power and tire yourself out. Maybe that'll drain it enough for Frank to get us away. Focus it on me. Focus on taking my power away for months. Put all your anger at Peter into it."

"But I can't. You're not Peter," Sirius insisted. "You like your powers."

"Well, what about me?" Remus replied. "With my power being twisted, I'd be happy never to shapeshift again. Focus on me."

"I've been focusing on you since we saw you," Sirius murmured, winking at Remus.

Remus stared back. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "There's someone I really like and… I'm sorry."

"Oh. I was just… just flirting. It's fine. I… it's cool."

"If I didn't have my heart set on the guy from the coffee shop, you're amazing… but I was falling in love with the guy and I don't even know his name."

"Coffee shop?" Sirius asked. "The little one on Station Road?"

"That's the one. The barista there."

Sirius smirked as he reached up to remove his mask. "You called?"

"Oh. You're... " Remus paled before chuckling nervously. "The things I just said…"

Sirius moved closer. "No, it's good. Emotion. Emotion can help me focus." He pulled off his glove and reached for Remus' cheek. "Okay, just you. I want to use my power to drain your power only. I don't want to drain Frank because he's our way out. You."

"Sirius, touching isn't enough. Imagine you're pushing your power out at him and only him," James insisted.

Sirius nodded. "Remus, when we get out of here, will you go out to dinner with me?"

"If you can get us out of here, I'll do anything you want."

Sirius smirked once more, bringing his other hand up. Before Remus could say anything, Sirius' lips were on his.

It took only a second for Remus to return the kiss and Sirius tried to push all his power from his body into Remus'. He allowed all the emotions the kiss brought, to run through him. His hands pulled Remus closer as the kiss deepened and when he felt like he couldn't stand, he pulled away.

"I feel dizzy," he murmured.

"That must have been one hell of a kiss," James commented, glancing at his arm which was fading out of view. "Frank?"

"Everyone grab a hold of me," Frank insisted, his fingers closing around both Remus and Sirius. "James, I don't know if this'll work if I'm not holding onto you, but you can hide at least without Sirius there."

James nodded his head. "I'll hold on just in case you can take me." He clutched Frank's arm. "Quickly they're coming up the tunnel."

The four men looked down the tunnel to see the Death Eaters coming towards them seconds before Frank transported them out.

...oOo...

"He was jealous of how quickly we accepted you," James said as Sirius opened his eyes. "Not that it's your fault, I'm not saying that - I'm only saying that Peter had problems and he betrayed all of us. I'm supposed to be his friend. I don't understand it."

"What happened?" Sirius muttered.

"You did it. You somehow drained all of your power into Remus. We've had a guard in case it wore off quickly, but he's staying in his human form. How did you do it?"

"I know him from the coffee shop. I've… I've had feelings for him for a long time, even without knowing his name," Sirius admitted. "Knowing that he felt something back, well, it… I was so happy. I pushed everything I had into that kiss."

James smiled. "Do you want Frank to get the mirror? You can see if there's a face."

"How is Frank?"

"The three of you were weary when returning. Remus was drained from spending all that time as a wolf and from his constant transformations. Poppy is insisting he stay on the ward too, though he's restless."

"The only reason I haven't snuck out is because I wanted to be here when you woke up." Remus moved over to the bed and Sirius beamed at him.

"I didn't know you were here," he said softly as Remus reached for his hand. "I was about to ask about you - I thought you might have gone home."

"I do want to, but I couldn't until you woke up. I needed to ask about the best kiss of my entire life. Was it just a way to magnify your ability or did it mean as much to you… as much to you as it did to me?" Remus watched Sirius carefully, though his cheeks quickly turned red at his admittance.

"It meant everything to me," Sirius admitted. "I've been thinking about what it'd be like to kiss you for so long now. I thought I had somehow scared you away when you stopped showing up at the cafe. In fact, I thought you possibly heard who I was and looked me up and ran."

"Why would I do that? Who are you?"

Sirius sighed. "My mother and father are Orion and Walburga Black."

"Clearly you're nothing like them and I'd have never just jumped to conclusions about you," Remus insisted softly. "I'm not leaving here until you're better. You're my hero, Sirius."

"Ditto," Sirius replied. "You helped me to control my powers." Sirius patted his bed and moved up, hoping to find the right words to express himself. "You know, when I was younger - my parents said that you find your other half - your partner in crime or sidekick by their powers complimenting yours. Do you think it was some twist of fate that yours were distorted so much and mine was able to help you? You're the only person who actually benefits from my power. Would you say that we compliment each other?"

"Is this your way of asking me to be yor partner in crime?" Remus asked, climbing onto the bed. "Because the only thing I've done that's even close to being a crime is returning my library book two days late."

Sirius laughed. "You're adorable, but I was thinking that you could be my partner here. Or maybe outside of here?"

Remus hesitated for a long moment. "I won't be going on missions with the Order. Until Greyback is dead, my shapeshifting is dangerous - but the Order said that I can help with research and planning and the rest. I can't be your partner or sidekick here, but I can be your boyfriend."

"I'll take that," Sirius said.

"I'm going to be living here for a while. James is concerned that I'll transform again. I'm not sure what to do about classes."

Sirius nodded, feeling slightly jealous. Remus had been offered a room yet Sirius hadn't, but Remus seemed to notice Sirius' shift in mood.

"All Order members get given lodgings here," he continued. "So lets hope our rooms are close to each other."

Sirius smiled. "You know, as long as I kiss you good morning each morning, you'll be good for the day."

"Just one kiss?"

"No. A few. Just to make sure. And you think a kiss can help, I think if we had sex, it'd be more beneficial." He glanced around for James to request a room for him and Remus to share together - or ones that had a private door leading between them, only to notice James had slipped out.

"I guess my powers are still on the blink," he said. "James managed to disappear and get out."

"But I'm still here and I'm glad you're okay and all, but don't want to hear about your sex plans," Frank called from across the room.

They lay in silence for a while. Remus curled into Sirius' side and Sirius holding him tightly.

"It's clear we deserve each other," Remus finally whispered.

* * *

Review please :)

6152 words


	8. Seven

Meetcute: "you drunkenly paid to get a tattoo at my parlor and didn't want to lose the money but the day has come and I have to hold your hand while someone else tattoos you"

Gobstones: Copper Stone: Victory - Word: constant, Barty Crouch Jnr, AU: artist

Weekly Snake Challenge: "Come a little closer, darling."

Library Lover - Twilight (floor 1) - Write about a magical being, trait: shy, someone has a secret

Lent Challenge - 2000 words

Writing Club: Character Appreciation: accepting of those different than him

Book Club - (action) flirting, (object) glass, (word) defiance

Count Your Buttons - "Does s/he know?"

Lyric Alley - I'm going nowhere

TV show - (AU) artist, (dialogue) "Oh no. We'll kill him together." (item) sketchbook

Liza's Loves - Write about a flirt

Play More Cards - write a meetcute

365 - "Why aren't you afraid of me?"

1000 - (trait) artistic

Hogwarts Assignment 4 - Write about trying to win someone over

 **A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

 **Seven**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

"You drunkenly paid to get a tattoo at my parlour and didn't want to lose the money but the day has come and I have to hold your hand while someone else tattoos you"

* * *

"I have a receipt saying I was in here and got a tattoo, but there's no tattoo to show for it."

"Mr Black," Remus said, smiling warmly. "You did come in yesterday and paid for a tattoo, but due to your… celebrations, we decided it wasn't the best time to give you one. You refused to leave until you had paid, so I gave you that receipt to remind you of your appointment today - I was planning on sending an owl to remind you."

"I met you yesterday? Wait, no. I don't believe you. There's no way I'd ever be drunk enough to forget how beautiful you are. Call me Sirius."

"My name is Remus Lupin. You came in, ordered a tattoo that specifically said _'fuck you, Mother'_ , and handed me some gold. After I tried to turn you away, I finally gave up and booked your appointment. Then you invited me home with you and when I turned you down, you gave me a detailed account of how good you are in bed and… how you wanted me to tie you up and do whatever I wanted to you."

Sirius couldn't help but blush. "And we could have both pretended that didn't happen."

"Oh, I'm not going to let you live that down," Remus said, amused. "So… really the best sex I've ever had?"

"Uh… I'm not sure - I've only slept with two women, I left home yesterday because I finally admitted that I'm gay and… I'm free." He sounded almost giddy at the idea. "Of course I'm going to flirt with someone as gorgeous as you - now that there's nothing stopping me! Plus, I can commit an act of defiance against Mother and finally get a tattoo."

"Well, it's a good thing I didn't take you up on your offer," Remus said.

Sirius' smile slipped. "Why?"

"Because I'd blow your mind amongst other things and I'd hate for you to be in a position to forget. Now, let's look through the book and pick a more suitable tattoo. Does the sober you have a preference?"

"My friend recommended you," Sirius said, enticed by Remus' words. "He said you do the best tattoos. Special ones. As much as I want a Muggle one, I wanted to see what the fuss was about."

"Well, we're the first tattoo parlour to do magical tattoos like this. Yes, others have covered tattoos that move - but we have new dragon tattoos and will be bringing out a whole range of them. With a range of spells and charmed ink of our own creation, we've developed dragon tattoos that not only hatch, but they age with you."

"You're shitting me!" Sirius exclaimed. "You know what, I want one of these dragons."

Remus beamed at him and Sirius' breath caught. He was immediately in love with that smile and wondered if this man would want to go on a date. "Of course. I'll go and get my sketchbook and you can pick a design. We also do Phoenix designs and weather and—"

"What's that on your wrist?" Sirius asked.

Remus lifted his hand. "My one goes through the moon phases," he explained. "We can do ones that rise and set with the sun, also constellations that you can't see until it's dark out."

"How do they interact? If I were to get the constellation, what'll happen if the dragon moves through it?"

"Nothing," Remus replied. "The dragon can move anywhere, but it'll return to the original spot. The constellations would be a different spell and a new set of ink."

"But wouldn't they combine because… they're both charmed ink?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head. "The spells are contained to each set of ink. If you wanted two dragons, we'd use two separately spelled ink-sets so they are separate tattoos. We can't use the same one on your skin twice - it messes up the designs."

"Right. What breed?"

Remus grabbed his sketchbook from below the counter. "The dragons are on the first pages," he said. "James does the constellations and everything, I just focus on the magical creatures."

"Did I give enough for two?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded. "You gave enough for six," he replied with a laugh. "You were very insistent. I've put the money in the safe ready for your return. Once we've done the tattoos, I'll give you the rest back. What'll it be first?"

"The constellation," Sirius said. "I want mine across my back."

Remus nodded just as the door rang. "Good choice. I can deal with the next customer whilst you get your constellation done with James, and then I'll do your dragon."

Sirius quickly shook his head. "No!" he said. "You can't! You need to hold my hand!"

They stared at each other for a long moment. Sirius' gaze was constant, unwavering as he gazed into Remus' beautiful amber eyes. Yes. Holding hands sounded like a wonderful idea. Perhaps Remus would go out to dinner with him afterwards?

"I'll pay for your time, but I can't do this alone," Sirius begged. "I'll book you for both time-slots."

Remus nodded slowly. "I… sure." He turned to the other customer. "Can you come back after lunch?" he asked.

Sirius walked over to the chair where a man with glasses was standing. Sirius assumed this was James and he smiled at the man as Remus booked the customer in for an appointment. Remus quickly followed, holding the sketchbook. "You forgot to pick your dragon," Remus said, passing the book to him.

He guided Sirius the rest of the way to the chair and Sirius opened the book, his eyes falling on the first picture. "Common Welsh Green," he murmured, his eyes on the words at the top of the page.

"Beautiful dragons. In fact, they're the first ones I designed when we came up with our plan," Remus said, looking quite eager at the expression on Sirius' face. Sirius watched in awe as the egg slowly cracked and a dragon broke its way free. "I have one of these myself." He rolled up one of his sleeves and pressed his wand against his arm, causing the dragon to appear in that spot, twisting lazily around his arm.

"Amazing," Sirius said, his eyes following the dragon's movement. "How would your dragon like to have a little visit with mine?"

"Are you trying to flirt with me?" Remus checked.

"Yeah. It turns out I don't have a lot of dragon-related pick-up lines," Sirius admitted, his eyes back on the page. The dragon in the picture was getting bigger turning the page carefully. Over the next few pages, he examined each of the eggs. "This one. I like the egg." He pointed to the Hebridean Black. "It looks a bit like an onion or something."

"Don't you want to see the dragon?" Remus checked.

"All the others have been perfect. I know what this dragon looks like as I've seen them in books - so when it hatches, it'll be a surprise. Actually, we'll start with the dragon!"

...oOo...

"Do you want to reschedule for the other one?" Remus asked, as Sirius examined the egg on his bicep.

"Not a chance," Sirius replied. "I haven't gotten a date with you yet, Remus."

Remus laughed. "So what, another hour and you'll win me over?"

"If that's what it takes. I have a whole body and a whole vault of gold," Sirius insisted.

"Go on, Remus," James said, as Sirius stripped off his t-shirt ready to have his back tattooed. "How can you say no? I've never seen anyone come up with a list of fifty reasons to date him before."

"Sixty-two," Remus murmured.

"He counted," Sirius added smugly. "I have more. It's Valentine's day in a couple of days. I'll make it really special. Wine, chocolates. Your pick of restaurant."

"You'd buy me chocolates?" Remus asked, his voice betraying his eagerness.

"Milk chocolate," James whispered near Sirius' ear. "Milk, not dark. Never say no to dessert because Remus won't give you a second date if he doesn't get something chocolate."

"Yes," Sirius insisted. "So… how about it?"

"Why not?" Remus asked, softly. "You make it hard to say no."

"Oh, I can take no for an answer, but you haven't said no yet," Sirius insisted. "If you're really not interested, I'll be on my way after this tattoo. So what's it to be?"

Remus slowly nodded his head. "Let's do it."

"Great."

...oOo...

"Look, it hatched!"

Sirius rushed over to where Remus was preparing his tools for another tattoo. "Sirius, I wasn't expecting to see you until Friday."

"I know, but the egg was cracking and I wanted to show you." He pulled off the long-sleeve t-shirt to show the cracked egg that was on his bicep.

Remus' gaze lingered on his chest for a long moment, before moving to his arm. "Yes, it's a crack. Mr. Crouch, if you want to take a look, this is what to expect after a day."

Barty Crouch glanced at the bicep. "Why didn't you just roll up your sleeve?" he asked.

"Because this way is quicker," Sirius responded, his smile fading. "I'll show you properly when we go to dinner," he said to Remus, turning to leave as Remus got ready to start.

"So, you must be desperate to go on a date with Black. Didn't you know that his whole family is insane?" Remus hissed in pain and Sirius spun around. "Does he know?" he asked, accusingly, pulling away from Remus. "They won't approve of you - they don't like werewolves." There was a sudden edge to Barty's voice.

Sirius quickly noticed Remus' shocked and scared expression before looking at Barty. Barty got up and began walking to the door.

"He's going to tell everyone," Remus muttered, turning to James. "What do we do? Business will go down, we'll have to—"

"Oh no. We could kill him together?" James suggested jokingly, letting out a little chuckle, but Sirius could see the concern on James' face as he glanced at Remus again. "Are you okay?"

As Barty walked past, Sirius took his chance. He grabbed Barty, slamming him up against the door and pushing his wand against Barty's head.

"Obliviate."

Before the daze wore off, Sirius shoved Barty out of the place and slammed the door behind him. He glanced through the glass, looking as Barty stumbled away, turning his head and gazing around in confusion. Satisfied, Sirius turned, only to find Remus and James staring at him.

"Why did you do that?" Remus asked, uncertainty.

"Because it's your secret and your choice when to tell people," Sirius replied. "How'd he find out?"

"He was wearing silver jewellery. I usually look out for silver but it didn't look it - it was gold coloured. My own fault for not being more careful." He rubbed at his hand. "But I'm fine, my fingers barely grazed it."

Sirius looked over, noticing Remus' hand looked a little red, but didn't seem to be injured further. That was good - if Remus was hurt, he'd have to go and hurt Barty.

"How about I treat you to an early lunch date?" Sirius suggested softly.

"But… you heard what I am," Remus replied. "Aren't you afraid of me?"

Sirius shrugged. "Well, my parents hate everyone. Squibs, gays, werewolves… I learnt long ago that my parents are terrible people. I like squibs, I rather like gay men and it turns out I'm mad about a certain werewolf."

Remus beamed at him. "James, do you mind…"

"Go ahead. I'll let you know if someone comes in for a dragon tattoo," James replied, grinning. "Have a nice lunch."

Remus walked over and Sirius slipped his hand around Remus' waist. "Come a little closer, darling," he murmured happily, pulling Remus as close to him as possible. "Our first date… where do you want to go?"

Remus blushed at the term of endearment and Sirius couldn't help but beam at him before leading them to the door. Yes, Remus was just perfect!

* * *

Review please :)

2000 words


	9. Eight

Gobstones - Gold: Opportunity - Accuracy: Broadway/west-end - Power: "I need a miracle" - Word: Inappropriate

Serpents Challenge - (object) button

Library Lovers - Suite Scarlett (floor 1) - Actor/Actress - Word: Eccentric - Object: Key

Lent - Word count 1,111

Writing Club:

Showtime: Phrase: Happy ending

Buttons: A matter of trust - Billy Joel

Liza's Loves - Write about a star

Cards - Slash pairing

365 - Celebrity!AU

1000 - Scenario - You're a celebrity who just broke up and I tweeted you a selfie with the caption "date me" as a joke but you thought I was serious? - Liza

Hogwarts assignment 4 - Show Tunes - Write about being invited

* * *

 **A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

 **Eight**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

You're a celebrity who just broke up and I tweeted you a selfie with the caption "date me" as a joke but you thought I was serious?

* * *

Sirius Black couldn't help but watch Remus Lupin's twitter. He had been following the breakup between Remus Lupin and Gilderoy Lockhart a month prior, reading every article he could get his hands on hoping that one had an extra snippet of information, but then the video was released minutes ago showing Gilderoy on set of his movie with his co-star. Sirius was appalled that the video had been taken before the breakup.

How could anyone ever cheat on someone as perfect as Remus Lupin? Okay, so Remus wasn't as famous as Lockhart - but Remus was still utterly amazing. He gave money to charity. He was even photographed visiting a retirement home, playing bingo with some of the old ladies. One had been sick and was a fan of his, and Remus had taken the time to go and visit her. How could anyone not love him?

There were a few messages already relating to the video. People asking if Remus had known or saying that he deserved better. Sirius hesitated for a moment.

 _'Date me instead.'_ His fingers moved quickly before he could change his mind and he attached a picture that James had taken a few weeks ago for Sirius to add to his modelling portfolio - the same picture that had gotten Sirius a few modelling offers.

Forcing himself to be brave, he clicked the button on his mouse, sending the message and picture. He wouldn't hear anything back of course, but maybe Remus would see the message and picture and know that people wanted him - not Lockhart.

...oOo...

"Are you Sirius Black?"

Sirius nodded.

The man pushed past impatiently and Sirius followed. Was this man going to kill him? Rob him? He looked around for a weapon. "Why are you here?" he demanded.

The man glanced around the living room before moving to the bedroom. Sirius frowned as the man stared at the poster on Sirius' wardrobe. So what if he had a poster from Remus' last performance in Wicked? He also had the theatre programme and book, and the man noticed these too.

"Get dressed, Mr. Black. You're coming with me."

"If you're going to kill me, I'm not going with you," Sirius pointed out.

The man smiled. "My name is Peter Pettigrew. I'm not going to kill you - I've got an opportunity for you."

Sirius perked up. This man could work for one of the bigger modelling agencies. Those people were eccentric which would explain Peter's strange behaviour. Peter's name was familiar too, but he wasn't sure why.

"I'll wait in your living room," Peter added.

Peter left the room, closing the door behind him. Sirius changed out of his sweats, pulling on his favourite tight jeans, a plain black t-shirt and his boots. He walked to the bathroom, adding some eyeliner and pulling his hair into a bun.

He grabbed his phone and keys on the way out, along with his leather jacket. He set his alarm and quickly locked the door with his key, before following Peter downstairs.

...oOo...

"Where are we?" Sirius asked, peeking over his sunglasses at the tall building.

Peter said nothing and Sirius followed him inside of the building. He had walked past it a few times and hadn't known what it was. Perhaps it was because it was a bigger company than he was used to. It made sense that they had private offices in secret locations.

There was silence as they got into the lift. They went up four floors and Peter led them to an office, pushing the door open. Sirius walked in, glancing around and noticing a man over by the window.

As the door closed behind them, the man turned and Sirius' eyes widened at the sight of Remus Lupin. Remus looked just as shocked. "Peter?"

"You've stared at his picture too many times," Peter said. "You said 'I need a miracle to get a guy like that' and I wanted to prove to you that you really could."

"I thought it was a joke - a fake account," Remus said, his gaze moving down Sirius' body slowly as though he didn't believe Sirius was standing there.

"Frank made sure it wasn't," Peter explained. "It's why I went there today. He's watched you in Wicked. He has the programme and a poster in his bedroom."

"Yeah. You're amazing in that." Sirius cleared his throat nervously. Why had he worn these clothes? Remus Lupin liked guys who wore smarter clothes. He didn't look good enough for Remus.

Remus smiled softly. "You look surprised."

"I thought this was a job offer," Sirius admitted. "If I knew I was meeting _you_ , I'd have worn something more… more suitable. More your type. I'd have made much more of an effort."

Remus' smile widened. "I don't know about that. I think how you look now is perfect. So… you really want to go on a date with me? I mean, when I saw your message - I recognise you from the television. I bought the underwear because you looked so… I mean… I… you could have anyone you want - is this a joke or…"

"I've had a crush on you for a long time. I always make sure to come and see you perform. I commented but never expected a reply because you're Remus Lupin and I bet you've had millions of offers like mine."

"Not millions. A handful but most were littered with inappropriate comments and dick pics. But when I saw your picture… I… if you're serious, I'll love to go on a date with you."

"My brother runs a restaurant. I'm sure I can sort something out. I assume you'd like some privacy after being all over the internet recently? Well, his place has a small section that can be partitioned off for private events. We could go to dinner there and have privacy."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Remus said. "I want to know what you expect from this though."

Sirius moved closer. Knowing that Remus had seen him on tv; had looked at his picture many times and wore the very underwear he had modelled… he felt braver now, joining Remus next to the window.

"I'd like to take you on a few dates and get to know the real you," he began. "I'd like to keep it a secret until you're sure about sharing this. I'd like to earn your trust. I'd like to show you that not every relationship goes bad - that there can be amazing guys out there who'd worship you in every way. I'd like you to have a happy ending - hopefully one that involves me."

"I'd like that too," Remus admitted softly.

* * *

Review please :)

Thanks to Lizzy who has betaed all of these stories! :D

1,111 words


	10. Nine

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

 **Nine**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

 _Meet-cute: A was fatally wounded and suddenly finds themself looking down at their own lifeless body in confusion. B is a reaper and offers A guidance... but A doesn't want to do the whole 'follow the light' rubbish. A wants to flirt with the cute reaper._

* * *

He listens to the sound of the clock and it's not what he expects to hear. His last thoughts were of the snake. _His_ snake coming at him. Fangs puncturing his skin. His last memory was of the pain searing through his body as everyone left him to die.

But here he is. The clock's ticking and the sound tells him he's not dead.

He stands, but as he turns, he realises there was no bed where he had just been laying. Something in the back of his mind tells him this isn't normal, but that's not what matters right now. He cares more about the dull darkness that fills the place, with a light shining at a distance.

He knows he should head towards it, but there are warning bells. He needs to know where he is - what happened to him to bring him to this strange but comforting darkness. He reaches down to where he remembers the fang sinking in, but there's no blood or marks lingering on his skin. In fact, he's not wearing his usual attire. Instead he's wearing casual jeans and a t-shirt. His hair feels longer too, pulled back with a piece of ribbon.

He knows it isn't right. He lingers, somehow knowing that following the light might not be enough to get him his answers. He turns away, his gaze searching through the dullness and trying to find anything that'd give him clues.

"You're going the wrong way," comes a soft voice from behind him. "Why walk into the darkness when the light is shining just for you - maybe you should follow it?"

Sirius turns around. He's eager to meet the person there with him and he's not disappointed. Soft amber eyes are what catch his attention first. Eyes that immediately captivate him. The man wears a cardigan and doesn't look threatening in the slightest - until Sirius spots the scythe he's holding - one that's bigger than him. He steps away, further into the darkness.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the man assures him. "This isn't to hurt people - it's part of the job, I'm afraid."

Something about his voice soothes the panic. He knows he should be concerned why there's a man with a scythe and a light he needs to head towards, but he can't bring himself to be. Instead he fixes his gaze on those amber eyes.

 _Beautiful._

The man's smile quickly slips from his face. "What did you just say?" he asks.

The words left his lips without him realising. "Is this hell?" he asks.

There's no answer. The man still looks concerned about Sirius' previous word and Sirius pieces everything together quickly. He steps back again and once more. The stranger follows, still maintaining a distance. Sirius knows it's too reassure him of course. It helps a little, as does the kind look on the man's face.

"Oh hell! I'm dead and this is hell, isn't it?" Sirius asks. Or he tries too. The words fall from his lips too quickly and jumble together as he tries to breathe, before realising that though his body is automatically drawing breath out of habit, it'd make no difference.

"I'm sorry, what?"

A panicked breath punctuates each word as Sirius tries to slow down. "We're… both… dead… and… this… is… hell!"

A flash of understanding crosses the man's face. "I'm here to guide you to the light," he assures Sirius. "You're not destined for hell. You're going to move on to a better place."

"A better place?" Sirius asks. He can't imagine any place where he really fits - life was like that. He likes the idea of staying there where it there's darkness as well as light. Where there are strange men in cardigans, with amber eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."

The man smiles in a way that tells Sirius he's heard this before. "You must," he replies, glancing at his watch. "It's for the best."

"And if I don't?"

The smile slips once more and the man looks worried. The expression only lasts a second, but Sirius can see someone hiding something and he won't let that slide.

"I'm not going anywhere if you don't tell me the truth," he pushes.

Remus bites his lip as he thinks. "When I was alive, I was a werewolf," Remus replies. "I have to atone for the actions the other part of me caused. My atonement is guiding people from this… place and into the light."

"How long for?" It sounds unfair to Sirius. He's never met a werewolf before, but this man appears harmless. Plus, how can he be held accountable for actions he didn't commit himself? "That doesn't sound fair!"

"Nine hundred," Remus replies. "I see two to three people each day, so hopefully in less than a year, I'll be with my family again and see my best friend, James. I'll be able to walk into the light. It is fair. The wolf was a part of me and its deeds darkened my soul. My number was determined by how much darkness there was. Because I tried to be a good person, it stopped my number being as high as it could have been. It's just the way things work."

"So if I walk into that light, that'll bring your number down again?" Sirius asks.

Remus nods. "Some people don't. They choose to return as ghosts. When I first started, it was just over a hundred-thousand people."

"You've been alone for a long time then," Sirius points out softly. "What about if someone chooses to stay here? Can that happen?"

Remus frowns slightly as he thinks. "As long as you don't try and return to the living world, you stay here and the light waits for you," he explains. "The light is like a doorway. From my home, it's like looking through a window at another world - only the glass separating us. I can't see the living world. But why would you stay?"

"Because I'm nineteen-years-old and I've never once met anyone like you," Sirius begins. "You're beautiful and I feel this need to stay with you - to wait for you to be able to walk through the light with me. I can't leave you alone… but at the same time, I don't want to stop you being that one step closer to reuniting with your family."

He hesitates between Remus and the light. "I don't even know your name."

"It's been a long time since someone asked my name," Remus murmurs. "I'm Remus - Remus Lupin."

"Sirius Black," Sirius replies. "What should I do, Remus?"

"Don't stay because you feel sorry for me," Remus quickly tells him. Sirius realises his choice of words. He's not telling Sirius that he can't stay - just he wants Sirius to have a different reason for choosing him.

"Can I stay because I'd like to stare into your beautiful eyes?" Sirius asks instead, unable to stop himself. His mind has decided that seduction is the way to go and Sirius never doubts his choices. "Because you're utterly beautiful and fascinating and I'd love to have you all to myself for the next… one to three years? Think of what we could do together?" the last words are a seductive purr and Sirius finally moves towards the light and towards Remus. He's not going into the light because with each passing moment, he's more and more sure of his choice. But Remus is standing in that direction. He realises that his parents have no control over him ever again and he can give in to to the one urge that he's had to force away before.

It strange, the freedom that death has offered him.

Remus blushes. Clearly he's thinking hard about the things they could do together and not a single protest falls from his lips. "You'll be staying with me - you won't be going back to where you came from," Remus checks.

"I promise. There was nothing there for me anyhow," Sirius insists softly. "Do we just stay here in this dark? Do you have a home? Do _we_ have a home?"

"I… we do," Remus says, not moving as Sirius walks over, taking his free hand. He looks down as though he doesn't believe what is happening and Sirius smiles softly.

"You do realise I'm basically death?" Remus checks. "When we're here, I'm his persona. I do his work. I'm a reaper."

"Yeah and when you're at our place, you're Remus, the man I intend to have naked as often as possible," Sirius replies. "How old are you?"

"Technically I'm nineteen as when you die, you don't age. But I've been doing this for a long time," Remus tells him. His cheeks are burning red and Sirius loves the sight.

How could something so perfect come from his own death? He has never felt anything like this before. The feeling in his chest is so pure and overwhelming and he can't help himself. He leans in, placing a gentle kiss to Remus' cheek. "I have nothing in the living world. I died there, it was tragic, people will mourn I suppose, but I didn't matter that much to anyone. There's a light and no one waiting for me there. Right here, I have you and I feel something so overwhelming but I have a choice and I want to be here with you, Remus."

Remus smiles. "As long as you're sure, you're more than welcome," he replies. "I think that having you here will make time fly. In fact, I may actually enjoy being here now that I have you."

"And when the time comes, we'll walk into that light together," Sirius assures him. "I'm willing to share you with the people waiting for you on the other side when the time comes."

Remus grins. "And I'm willing to share my family and friends with you," he replies.

* * *

Review please :)

Thanks to Lizzy who has betaed all of these stories! :D

* * *

Written for:

Meet-cute: A was fatally wounded and suddenly finds themself looking down at their own lifeless body in confusion. B is a reaper and offers A guidance... but A doesn't want to do the whole 'follow the light' rubbish. A wants to flirt with the cute reaper.

Gobstones - Silver: death - Accuracy: present tense - power: (Genre) mystery - technique: "I promise"

Serpent Challenge - (object) watch

Library Lovers (floor 3) A series of unfortunate events - Word: tragic, Object: ribbon, action: biting

Lent Challenge - Only involve characters who are dead

Writing Club - Character appreciation: (word) snake bite

Aladdin - Write about someone feeling trapped

Book Club - (word) pure, (word) seduction, (dialogue) "We... are... dead... and... this... is... Hell!"

Showtime - "Think of what we could do together."

Lyric Alley - "And I'm in the ground"

Liza's Loves - Write about a snake's bite

Cards - "Oh hell!"

365 - Style - present tense

1000 - First Line: He listened to the sound of the clock

Hogwarts - Assignment 3 - Write about someone with a floral name


	11. Letters

The Letters

* * *

 _Dear James,_

 _When replying, I suggest sending letters directly to me and not to my home address. Sending letters directly to my home won't yield results because I won't be there any longer._

 _No, you don't need to reread that sentence. You read it correctly: I've done what we've always talked about me doing - I've left home. I've run away from these foul people who claim to be my parents._

 _After twenty-three years of misery, I'm finally free. I write this from a tavern I stopped at for the night._

 _I'll come to you - I'll just take the long route. It's time I set about exploring caves and dungeons. It's time I explored and did what I always dreamed of doing. I have some gold with me, some supplies - weapons and armour, though basic. But I'll be okay. You know I can handle anything I come across - what can be worse than Mother?_

 _I hope to hear from you soon, my dear friend._

 _Sirius Black._

* * *

 _Dear Sirius Black,_

 _My name is Remus Lupin. I moved to town three days ago because there was an empty shop that was suitable for my family's wares. Your letter came to me instead of James and I must apologise that I read it not realising._

 _The messenger rushed in giving it to me. He was gone before I realised that the letter wasn't for me. The front didn't have a person's name, just the address of my shop and I assumed the letter was for me or my parents._

 _I've yet to meet anyone in town called James, but if I do, I'll make sure the letter gets passed on to him. I wish you safe travels and ask you to take care in dungeons and whilst exploring. It's not much, but I've attached a potion of my own creation. The potion will temporarily allow you to survive any injuries long enough to get back to town. I've been trying to make it stronger, but at least it'll help in the most dire cases - but hopefully it doesn't come to that._

 _I hope this is enough to earn my forgiveness in reading your letter. Good luck._

 _Remus Lupin._

* * *

 _Remus,_

 _I wasn't angry that you read the letter. I should have made it clearer who it was for, by adding James' name to the front of the envelope so that was entirely my own fault. I did send it to the shop rather than James' home address because it's easier for the messengers to find the shop, plus James sometimes stays in the rooms above the shop when he's been working late._

 _I must admit that I enjoy getting letters since it's only my best friend who sends them, so it was a lovely surprise when I received one from you._

 _That potion sounds wonderful and do not worry. I am being overly careful, sticking to little quests that the tavern-owner has been asked to mention to travellers and adventurers. I think I'll stay here for a week or so. If I can earn enough gold here, I can get my armour upgraded, I can make sure I have enough supplies. You mix potions and have a shop - am I correct in assuming that you're an alchemist then?_

 _Please find enclosed a blue mountain flower. I would have rather given you something a little less common, but I hadn't considered looking out for alchemy ingredients before now._

 _Though if I come across any, I'll be sure to send them your way._

 _Sirius._

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _How generous of you. I certainly didn't send that potion with an expectation of you sending me something in return. It's the thought that counts._

 _You're right, I am an Alchemist. I take a certain joy in making up potions. My mother tends to grow a lot of the ingredients for the store and my father works on the counter - I do the mixing. We used to live a few towns away - that was until another Alchemist by the name of Severus opened his own store facing ours. He had more knowledge of Alchemy than I do and we realised that if we didn't move, we'd quickly become poor. It was give up our jobs and do something else, or move._

 _When we realised that there was an empty shop that we could afford, we snapped it up quickly._

 _Your previous letter has been passed onto James. I hope it's the correct person - he seemed to know your name and was eager to have the letter, so you should be hearing back soon enough. It was nice to meet him - I haven't really had a chance to get to know anyone, but that's nothing new really._

 _Tell me about your adventures!_

 _Remus_

* * *

 _Remus,_

 _Well, you haven't yet met me, but here's your chance to get to know me. I have a younger brother called Regulus and horrible parents. My real family is the Potters (James' family) who practically raised me until my parents moved us away when I was seventeen. I'm travelling back to see them but I'm a long way away. It would be weeks of travel if I came directly by carriage, but I plan to make my own way._

 _When I'm there, I'll certainly stop in to meet with you. We could go to the local tavern - you, me, James and Peter. My friends are good guys and I'm sure you'd get along splendidly._

 _It's a shame that you had to give up your home like that. There were many places Severus could have placed his business, yet he chose his location in order to put you and your family out of business which sounds horrible. You'll find the people of Godric's Hollow are more loyal to where they make their purchases. That place is amazing and the people are… well, you'll find out for yourself._

 _There haven't been many adventures. A tiger was attacking local farms, a child had wandered off from his parents, and a few deliveries and errands around town. That sort of thing really. It's small jobs, but each bit of gold helps, plus people know who I am and they'll keep me in mind for bigger jobs._

 _I found some toadstools outside of the tavern. I asked around and heard they are used in alchemy so I hope they are useful for you._

 _Sirius._

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _You're right, but this town seems much nicer than the town we came from. There are more plants growing and I'm enjoying my early morning walks where I collect a few plants. I'm going to invest in an Alchemy Satchel once we're more established - it cost a lot of money to pack up and move but we'll re-establish ourselves and things will hopefully fall into place._

 _They may not be the type of jobs you're hoping for, but think about those people on the farms that spend hours in the fields to earn a living, or the parents who were probably terrified that something had happened to their child. You're making a difference and those people will certainly remember what you've done for them. So those are the people who will be telling their friends and children about the great adventurer who helped them when no one else would._

 _I saw James again today. He was in for a couple of potions along with his mother. She was talking with mine for a short while and James was asking a few questions about Alchemy. He mentioned that when they had the shop, it sold jewellery that Mrs Potter made, but they needed a bigger shop as James wanted to move permanently into the property so they wanted somewhere with a larger home above. He mentioned he was going to tell you about it, so I assume you already know this. It's funny - he lives in the shop facing and I didn't realise until today!_

 _He talked fondly of you and from the expression on his face, you matter a lot to him. He called you his brother and it must be nice to have such a connection with someone that you treat them as family._

 _Thank you for the toadstools, they were very useful. They are Fly Amanita and I used one to make you a potion (enclosed) which will regenerate your stamina quicker. If you get weary, drink it. Don't drink it close to bedtime though as it'll keep you up._

 _Remus_

* * *

 _Remus,_

 _James mentioned it in his last letter. It's got an extra bedroom. In fact, he moved so he had an extra room available for me if I ever wanted to stay. His timing is impeccable, isn't it?_

 _I believe everything happens for a reason. I messaged to tell him that I've left home only to find out he's prepared for this. Yet when I send the message, it is opened by someone else. I like to think that you were supposed to get my message - that we were supposed to talk and become friends. Because one day I'll arrive in town and I'm already anticipating our first meeting._

 _I invested in a new sword today. It has a basic charm on it that does extra attack to frost creatures. This is handy since I keep getting asked to deal with frost-trolls. There's rumours of a nest of them - about five or six - which is why I chose this particular weapon. There's no shortage of frost-trolls causing trouble around here._

 _Thank you for the potion. I'll keep it with me for when I travel to that nest._

 _Sirius_

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _So you'll be living directly facing me? Maybe you're right. I've never believed things happen for a reason before but I like to think this has. I must say when I see a messenger arriving, I get excited that I'm about to get a letter from you and I enjoy writing them to you. I may miss sending letters when you come to town._

 _I wanted to ask your thought on Lucius Malfoy? You used to live here so you would know the people here - and I feel safer asking you because though you're a stranger, you're also a friend. I just want to know if he's someone I should associate with?_

 _I hope you're safe after taking on that nest. How many did you face?_

 _Remus._

* * *

 _Remus, if you only heed one piece of advice from me - it's to stay away from Lucius. When you say 'associate' my mind makes me believe that you mean something else - I myself was romantically involved with Lucius. It was kept secret though I was willing to be in a relationship and allow the world to know - and in the meantime, he became betrothed to my cousin. He's still set to marry her, he's just looking for male companionship on the side and in secret._

 _Lucius Malfoy doesn't care about feelings - he just wants a warm body in his bed. I found that out the hard way and had my heart broken. I ended things and he tried to make my life difficult just because I wouldn't be his 'fling' whilst he was with my cousin._

 _After this, my parents never allowed me to visit with James again. They thought I was shaming the family just because I shared a bed with another man._

 _I barely know you, but I can tell by your words that you are a good person with a big heart and that you care about everyone - even strangers - and the last thing I want is for you to get hurt. You deserve better!_

 _Sirius_

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _I've turned him down and cut ties with him completely. James' cold behaviour in the Tavern last night suddenly makes sense now - I wouldn't ever want to even talk to someone who could so cruelly use you like that._

 _Is Godric's Hollow somewhere where you can admit to your feelings for another man? Where we came from, people weren't that open about their romantic relationships in that way. But now that I think about it, when we left, we did cross the border into another kingdom. I had never considered the different laws but maybe it's why my parents chose here to set up our new shop rather than one or two towns over?_

 _As do you - you deserve someone who would never treat you that way - someone who doesn't hide the relationship as though they're ashamed. You've brightened my life and I can't even begin to imagine how someone could treat you anything less than perfect._

 _Remus_

* * *

 _Remus,_

 _I'm sorry about the delay in letters - I had to wait for a reply from my letter to James first. I asked James about you. I couldn't believe that you were real, but he assures me you are, though he won't tell me how you look._

 _Not that it matters of course, I was just trying to imagine you. I realise I forgot to tell you about that nest. There were nine trolls in there, but I managed to take out four outside without the others realising. Your potion came in handy as I was exhausted afterwards, but it helped me have the energy to get back to town._

 _You mentioned before about lack of friends and that's what baffles me. You're the amazing one, Remus. You're sweet and caring and oh so wonderful. How do people not just flock to you, seeking friendship and more? If I weren't travelling and I spoke to you without knowing you, I'd never stay away. I'd want to be around you always._

 _Sirius_

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _I'm glad the potion came in handy. I've found some new patches for ingredients so I've made some stronger potions. They're all labelled of course. Each small vial is one dose, it makes it so I can send you more potions with the messenger - I hope this comes in useful._

 _I know this sounds stupid, but I can't help but feel worried about you every day. What if you got hurt? You could die and I'd never know. I'm sorry my thoughts turn morbid, but I constantly fear the worst._

 _I mean, I was fearful at first, but now it's so much more._

 _Remus_

* * *

 _Remus_

 _All of the potions are brilliant. The vials work so well because they are less bulky and I can take them rather than the big potions. Thank you, as always._

 _I took on an ogre today. It was attacking anyone travelling out of town and an advisor from the keep asked me to handle it myself. They offered to sell me a home and allow me to become the protector and I will admit that I considered it, but the thought of being so far away from James and my family made me choose to come back._

 _After all, if I stay here, how would I ever get to meet you? Writing your letters are fast becoming one of the most important tasks of my day and receiving them, the brightest moments._

 _I had a brief lover in town but it wasn't something that would last. I'm sorry._

 _Sirius._

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _Why are you sorry? If you're not involved with someone else, you're free to be in a relationship - as long as that person treats you right and makes you happy, that's what matters._

 _Clearly they weren't enough to keep you in town, but I can't hold it against you that you have needs and wants - everyone has those - there is nothing to hold against you. This won't affect this friendship we're building up, don't worry._

 _The letter arrived a day earlier than expected and I realise now that we've been writing for four months now. Though we've not exchanged a lot of letters because of the distance and time it takes for a letter to arrive and a letter to be returned, it feels like I've known you for more than this short amount of time._

 _Snow is beginning to fall here so I can only imagine how cold you are up there - even if you're travelling away from the last town you were in. I've sent a parcel - Mother invested in a new coat for me so I've sent my old one. It's nothing brilliant, but it's got countless warming charms on it and I've never suffered from the cold because of the charms. It still has life left in it. I'm just hoping you're not taller than me because otherwise you may find the sleeves short._

 _Keep safe and keep warm._

 _Remus._

* * *

 _Remus,_

 _It fits - the sleeves are slightly long but not overly so, and it's really warm. I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for the coat. I was hoarding money to get someone to charm my current one, but that money can be used elsewhere now._

 _I'm glad it doesn't affect us. I always get scared because I'm used to people disapproving of me in some way, that I worry that I'll do something that'll screw up this beautiful friendship that we've been building._

 _Four months? That's a long time but you're right - it feels like no time at all! I can barely remember what it's like before I got that first letter from you._

 _The town I'm in have heard of me from people who have travelled. Gossip mostly, but it's nice here. There's the Bard's College here and I've decided to stay with them for a while. I've always loved listening to Bards and wanted to learn to be one and this is the perfect opportunity._

 _I was given this bag. Usually I sell the stuff I get to the general wares shop, saving anything I need… but this was saved for you. It's an Apothecary Satchel but when I had it checked out, there were some charms on the bag which keeps the plants and ingredients as fresh as the moment they were picked._

 _Sirius_

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _This bag is perfect, thank you. I usually have to leave some ingredients until last and rush back with them - those tend to be the ones near the swamp a mile away from town, but now I can take my time, taking a different path back and collecting even more ingredients._

 _Our shop is looking good. We've been mostly making potions to order because of limited supplies and jars and only stocking the more popular health potions, but we've got enough money now to stock up on the jars so we can make potions and store them. It helps because we were previously losing a bit of business as some people weren't patient to wait a few hours or a day._

 _This gives me more time to myself. I can mix the potions in slightly bigger batches and store everything_

 _A Bard? What instrument are you hoping to play (if any)? I have no doubts you'll be amazing as a Bard. A monster-fighting Bard. You'll have to sing stories about yourself!_

 _Remus_

* * *

 _Remus,_

 _Maybe when I get to town, I can take you on some adventures? James and Peter want to come along with me and you'll be a good addition to our team. Imagine what the four of us could do together?_

 _I mean, you have the time since you're doing potions by the batch… I promise I'll keep you safe. I just feel like the four of us would have so much fun together. What do you think?"_

 _I don't know yet. Lutes are more popular and would be easiest to learn. What do you think, Remus? What would I suit? What would you like to hear me do?_

 _So I heard a song today about wolves raising boys - one was called Remus and it made me think of you. Are you named after that rhyme or something?_

 _Sirius_

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _I've been making you some more potions for you. I doubt you'll need as many as a Bard, but better safe than sorry. The light purple ones are for your throat. With all of the singing you'll be doing, it'll stop your throat from hurting or from you overdoing it. They'll help as you get used to the life of a Bard._

 _I've been thinking over your offer and I may take you up on that. I have responsibilities at home of course, but the idea of being at your side - adventuring at your side - is something I can't bring myself to pass up._

 _I asked my mother and she said that she loved to hear the tale growing up, and that when she married my father, with our surname 'Lupin', she believed that it was meant to be. If I had a brother, he was to be Romulus. I always hoped for a brother actually, but my parents only had me. My mother seemed sad when talking about the names so I never pushed to find out why she didn't have another child._

 _I think you should be happy with what you pick. Not wondering what I'd like. You're the one learning it - you're the one who'll be performing with it. Pick a sound that you know you would enjoy for a long time. You could always add a second instrument._

 _Also - I love all instruments. I'm certain that if it's you playing them, they'd be even more perfect._

 _Yours, Remus_

* * *

 _Remus,_

 _I think I met someone. Gilderoy Lockhart. He arrived a few months ago and we've been practicing together and he's very charming and I'm learning a lot from him. Those that run the college are amazed at his skills._

 _I'm going to make sure this goes right this time. I'm going to remember your words from before. I'm going to come away from here with great skills and play for you, James, Peter and James' parents and hopefully you'll enjoy it._

 _Also a lot of Bards know how to make poison. Is that normal?_

 _Sirius_

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _Please take care with your heart this time. I can't wait for you to return (if you do) and perform for us._

 _If you've found someone who makes you happy there, do you think you'll stay? If you do, maybe me, James and Peter can all travel to visit you because I'd love to meet you._

 _I keep telling myself to be patient. That you'll arrive when you're ready, but I sometimes feel anxious. If only to have a face to put with your name._

 _What do you look like?_

 _Remus._

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _A reply from you would usually arrive weeks ago and yet I've not had one. I considered that a messenger could have gotten lost or delivered it to the wrong address._

 _Or something may have happened to you. Something I can't dare even consider._

 _Perhaps you are busy learning and have lost track of time._

 _Please respond. If only to tell me you're alright!_

 _Remus_

* * *

 _Sirius,_

 _I don't know what I'd do if something has happened to you. I'm scared now. It's been two months. I should have had a letter weeks ago. James asked if I had heard from you._

 _Please be safe._

 _Remus._

* * *

James pounded his fist on the door. The shop had closed only minutes before and Remus assumed it was a customer who needed something. On the other side stood James, his mouth set into a firm line.

"I'm going to find him," James said. "Get your things."

"My… things?" Remus asked. "What things?"

"Anything. Supplies, potions. A weapon. We need to go quickly."

"Where?"

James looked at Remus strangely. "To get Sirius of course. Remus, the letters he sends to me are all about you - you can't tell me that he isn't important to you. I see your face light up when you get a letter. I see you eagerly watching for a messenger. If he matters even half as much as I suspect he does, you'll come with me."

"But… but the shop?"

"Honey, you need to go," Hope said from behind him. "It's about Dorea's boy, isn't it - the one that lives far away? The one she told us has been writing to you. I've never seen you so happy and if this is something you need to do, then do it. If something has happened and you never went, you'll never forgive yourself."

"Are you sure? Don't you need me here?"

"We have enough potions to get by," Hope insisted. "Your father has gone upstairs. He's searching for his old adventuring gear for you. Go and get your love."

"I'm going," Remus confirmed. "But Mum, he's not mine. When he comes, don't… don't say…"

"You're mad about him, my darling," Hope said softly. "It's plain for everyone to see. Subtlety is not your strong point, is it? Not when it comes to Sirius."

She turned her attention to James who was watching the exchange carefully. "You take care of my son."

"I will," James assured her. "I have a plan."

"Okay good, you be the leader and keep him safe." She glanced behind her as Lyall appeared with a crate of his old equipment.

...oOo...

It was a week's journey to the Bard's College. Longer really, but James had paid for a wagon to take them as far as he could before nightfall, and then when they had arrived, taken a walk and had something to eat, James paid the next wagon to take them as far as _he_ could. The trio took turns sleeping and had managed to save a lot of time when they finally arrived in Knockturn Keep.

"I was thinking about your plan," Remus said as the place came into view. "I think we need to consider that he's still in the college. He mentioned that they know about poison. What else do they know?"

"Are you talking about the Bards?" the driver asked, glancing around. "I wouldn't trust that Bard's College. Some strange folk come from there."

Peter glanced at the man. "Assassins deal with poisons," he said.

"And Apothecaries," Remus pointed out. "But the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced he was there. We need to get in there."

James nodded. "We need someone who doesn't look threatening," he murmured. "Can either of you sing?"

Peter quickly shook his head. "Not in the slightest."

"Remus, I've heard you sing as you mix up your potions. You'll have to do," James said. "You go in, claim you want to be a Bard and you sneak us in."

"How?"

"You'll find a way. Meanwhile, Peter can get information on the Bards and I can go to the front door and ask for Sirius, see what information they are willing to part with. I can also keep guard and watch out for Sirius. I can try and find an alternative way in. How does that sound?"

Remus nodded reluctantly. He'd be useless on the inside - but James had told him about how Peter was good at overhearing things and would be best off listening to the criminals and James had the musical talent of a worm. Remus looked mild and the least like a threat - despite the scar that ran down his face.

"If you think this is the best way to get Sirius, I'll do what it takes."

James nodded. "This is going to be risky. Are you willing to take risks? If you have doubts, tell me now."

Remus took a moment to consider what to do. Could he sit back and hope the others managed? "I think I'm in love with him," he admitted softly. "I'll do whatever it takes to save him."

"Can you fight if needed?" James asked.

Remus nodded. "I know how to defend myself. Father taught me to fight. Mostly for self-defence but…"

James glanced around as the wagon stopped. He passed a small pouch of coins to the driver. "Thank you."

...oOo...

"I've been interested in becoming a Bard for years," Remus said. "My parents work in an Apothecary but it never felt enough, you know. I felt like there was more to life."

"So you have potion making skills?" the woman asked, her long nails tapping against her desk. "You have a look about you, so you can stay. You'll have to start at the bottom. Run errands, keep the place tidy and so on. I know Gilderoy needs an assistant. His was… reassigned."

Remus merely nodded and the woman stood up. "I'm Rita," she said. "And you are…"

"Romulus," Remus offered softly. He followed Rita and looked around, trying to memorise the place as Rita began to lead him around. She waved her hand at each of the areas, telling Remus what was what, but Remus was only concerned about what doors she didn't point out.

Finally she stopped at a room. "This is the assigned room for Gilderoy's assistant," she said. "Your first job - clear it out."

"Clear it? I thought his last assistant was relocated?" Remus asked.

Rita chuckled. "Not throw it out. Clear it all into a crate. Find somewhere to store it until he returns."

She passed over a key and Remus unlocked the door. He quickly closed it behind him. He immediately spotted his old coat hanging over a chair. This was Sirius' stuff. Sirius had been here.

...oOo...

 _Remus,_

 _I'm leaving here. It doesn't feel right with Gilderoy. I thought this attention was what I wanted, but it feels wrong. I'm terrified that I'm going to ruin our friendship by telling you this, but it feels wrong because it's not you._

 _I don't even know what you look like, but I feel like I'm betraying you. I'm going to end things with Gilderoy now and start home. Hopefully you get this by the time I return._

 _I love you, Remus._

 _Sirius._

* * *

Remus stared at the letter for a long time after coming across it. There were half-written letters to James and Peter too, but this one was complete.

Everything appeared to be well until the breakup with Gilderoy appeared. He stored the belongings carefully with his own things, making sure to slip the knives onto his person.

As the night grew late, Remus noticed a large amount of the Bards headed out to the local tavern. He took the chance to slip out himself, James and Peter finding him quickly.

"He's somewhere here. The breakup and his attempt to leave were a trigger. I have his job and his old room - all of his belongings were still there," Remus explained.

"Talk at the tavern is that someone valuable is being held here for a ransom," Peter said.

"Remus, can you get us in?" James asked. "Is there a back door where we won't be seen?"

...oOo...

Peter picked the lock on the fifth locked door as James kept a look out for anyone to come. They had already taken out two guards, forcing some of Remus' sleeping potions down their throats and dragging them into one of the rooms that Peter had opened.

But this one was down in the basement and Remus realised it would have to be where Sirius was.

The door swung open and Remus walked in, knife hidden in his sleeve. Before he could do anything, am arm wrapped around his neck.

"Let me out or I'll snap it," a man hissed darkly.

"My name is Remus," Remus said quickly. "Are you…"

"Remus?" the voice softened. "My Remus?"

"Remus Lupin. You're Sirius, right? You didn't write. We were worried. We…" the arm loosened as Remus spoke and he turned, coming face to face with the man he had fallen in love with over the months of writing letters.

"You came for me?" the smile was blinding.

"Of course I did. I love you and would never let anything bad happen to you," Remus said. His gaze moved over Sirius' face as he tried to memorise Sirius' features. Sirius Black was breathtaking. High cheekbones and soft looking lips. He was utterly perfect. "Ready to go home?"

"My stuff… I need to get—"

"I've already packed it up. Peter and James have gone to get everything. I think they were giving us some time alone."

Sirius took his hands. "You said you love me?"

"I did and I do love you, but let's save further discussion of my words until we're safely out of Knockturn Keep." Remus pulled one of the knives from his boots and passed it to Sirius. "You go first."

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"Think about it - you've experience in fighting, in sneaking around. You know the layout of the place. I'll be useless in getting us out of here. I'll fight at your side, but I don't want to get us lost."

Sirius nodded, looking determined. "I'll make sure we all get out of here safe," he said. "And just so you know - I love you too. I was ready to come home just because I wanted to be with you."

Remus smiled. "And now we can be together," he assured Sirius. "Let's go."

* * *

Written for:

Assignment 3 - Write a penpal AU

Serpent - "Subtlety is not your strong point, is it?"

Scavenger Hunt - Write a letter fic

Library Lovers - Shelf 1 - Lord of the Rings - (genre) fantasy, (genre) adventure, someone going on a quest

Lent - Use someone's name 40 times

Writing Club: Aladdin - Write about someone who has a huge personality

Book Club - (Word) Self-defence, (genre) adventure, (word) leader

Showtime - (Genre) friendship

Buttons - "Think about it."

Lyric Alley "It doesn't matter what is out there"

Cards - Write about fighting off a monster

365 - Medieval AU

1000 - Penpals

Resolutions - Write a crossover


	12. Eleven

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

A's parents have been hassling them with the same old thing for years: "why haven't you found someone yet?" Not wanting to spend another aggravating Christmas dinner with the family alone, A calls up a friend and tells the friend that they needs a date to take to dinner. As a result, the friend sends an acquaintance, B, to pretend to be a loving partner of six months.

(you can change Christmas dinner to any family event: wedding, thanksgiving, family holiday, new years etc etc)

* * *

Something Real

* * *

Remus ended the call and let out a loud sigh. His mother had hinted _again_ about Remus bringing someone home to meet them for Christmas. She had talked about him finding someone and settling down. Perhaps a nice Omega - like Penny who lived in town - his mother mentioned three times that Penny was single but Remus had grown up there and he knew Penny. He wasn't interested and she wasn't interested.

Almost immediately, his phone rang again. Remus hesitated for a long moment before looking at the screen, half-expecting to see _Mum_ pop up on the screen. As much as he loved his mum, he couldn't take much more of these calls.

He knew she meant well, but he didn't want to rush into marriage and a family and children. He hoped one day that he'd meet his soulmate and it'd all happen, but he couldn't force it to happen so quickly.

 _James._

He answered the call, bringing the phone to his ear. "Hey."

"You sound miserable. What happened?"

"Mum," Remus said, sighing softly.

"Again?" James asked. "She's not letting up, is she?"

"Tell me about it. I have a feeling that when I go over for Christmas, she's going to have Penny there and hope that we'll fall madly in love so she can plan the wedding before I leave again. It's not going to happen."

"Well, she can't do that if you have someone to bring."

Remus snorted. "Yes, I'll just bring my secret boyfriend or girlfriend. Which one should I pick, there are so many."

"Hey, hey, no need for sarcasm," James replied. "I have an idea."

"Why do those words scare me?" Remus asked.

"Look - trust me, alright. Just give me free-reign to sort this for you."

Remus wondered how James could sort this. He couldn't.

...oOo...

James hung up the phone and pushed it into his pocket as he walked towards his office. Remus' mum was wonderful, but she wanted Remus to find someone.

James didn't blame her. Remus was shy and quiet. He rarely dated and when he did, it never seemed to work out. But all of his attempts to get Remus to date didn't seem to make a difference - Remus never clicked with any of them.

The only thing James could do to help his friend was find Remus a single Omega who would be happy to pretend to be Remus' partner. A smile formed on his lips. Maybe this was good - if he found an Omega that was Remus' type, maybe the pretend relationship could turn into something more?

After all - anyone who took the time to know Remus would realise how amazing he was. But who could he get? He began racking his brain for all of the Omegas he knew that Remus hadn't been set up on a date with.

But though he spent the whole day thinking about it, no-one came to mind. It wasn't until he was walking home and spotted an Omega begging at the side of the street, did he even begin to form a plan.

Instead of the usual handful of change he handed over, he stared at the dark-haired man who carefully avoided his gaze. This was either the best idea in the world or the most stupid idea.

He sat down next to the man, noticing he tensed up.

"I need a favour."

"I don't care how rich you are, I'm not having sex with you," the man snapped, his gaze turning to James and his grey eyes flashing. "I don't do that."

James quickly shook his head. "I wasn't going to ask," he quickly replied.

The man watched him warily. "I know you."

"Yeah I walk past here every day."

"You always stop and give me money. Why?"

"Because you need it more than me. But today… I need a favour and I think you're the one to help me."

"What? You think I owe you a debt because you give me change every day?" the man scoffed. "It's not tit for tat, you know. I'm not in the position to do favours."

"This one you are."

"I'm not selling drugs, I'm not having sex, I'm not—"

"My friend needs a fake partner to keep his parents off his back."

Silence followed James' statement. "And… and you think I'm that person?" The man chuckled. "Maybe you should walk away and pretend this conversation didn't happen because I'm not who you're looking for."

"How about we make a deal," James replied, shifting uncomfortably. "I need someone who can spend Christmas at Remus' house, who can attend other family holidays. Someone who isn't in a relationship. I think that's you because if you had someone to spend Christmas with, you wouldn't be on the streets. If you had a lover or a partner, same thing. No sex involved."

"Oh yes, I'll wear my best suit for that," the man scoffed.

"In return, I'll help you get back on your feet. Remus has a spare room which you can live in. I'll buy you clothes, pay you. We can say… six months agreement for now? He gets his parents off his back, which means they stop setting him up with anyone and everyone and leave him be, and you get a permanent address and a chance to turn your life around."

The man was clearly interested in the offer. James could see the hope in his eyes, but there was doubt too. "I don't know…" his voice was softer now, the sarcasm fading. "You want me to move in with a strange Alpha…"

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I promise you that Remus isn't the sort to take advantage like that. He's the most kind-hearted person I've ever met and I'd trust him with my life. He's not so good at dating and he just need someone to pretend to be into him at family events. You can even have a fake break-up in six months or whenever he meets someone - I'll still be responsible for you for the entire six months, even if Remus breaks it off early for whatever reason."

"This is insane. There must be loads of people who would pretend," the man said. "What's wrong with your friend?"

"Nothing. He just never clicks with any of the Omegas or Betas I introduce him to. So… would you at least like to meet him, check him out?"

There was a long moment of hesitation first. "No sex?"

"I promise."

"Okay. It wouldn't hurt to meet him at least. Though I need a shower first."

...oOo…

The man refused to go to James' place so James paid for him to go into the local gym and use the facilities there. James had picked up a change of clothes, a towel, and some toiletries on the way.

The shower was long, but James assumed that it wasn't often this man got to have a hot shower and that he was making the most of it.

When the Omega emerged, he looked like a different man. There was no facial hair, he was clean shaven and there was no layer of dirt on it. The clothes weren't torn and dirty.

James raised his eyebrows. There had been a lot distracting him from how handsome this man actually was. He had focused on the guy's age which was close to Remus', he assumed, and the dark hair as Remus prefered those with dark-hair.

"I've not introduced myself yet," James said, realising he didn't know what to call this man. "I'm James Potter."

"Sirius Black," the man responded, running a hand through his long dark hair. "We forgot to get a hairbrush." He pulled his hair back into a bun and used an elastic band to tie it messily. Though it was a bit of a tangle, it suited him and James was sure Remus would be drooling.

"We'll get a taxi," he said, quickly ordering on his phone. "So, you'll get rent and food free. I'll give you some money to live on until the contract ends."

"No. Provide me with rent, food and money. When I have a job, I'll pay my own way. I only want help getting on my feet," Sirius insisted firmly. "I just need that chance."

James nodded. "You got any belongings you want to bring?"

"Everything I own is in my rucksack," Sirius replied softly.

"Can I ask how you ended—"

"No," Sirius replied shortly. "You can wait for the cab in silence and stop prying otherwise the deal is off. Remember, I'm just going to meet the guy. I'm not making any promises."

James nodded slightly. He didn't want to risk Sirius changing his mind.

...oOo…

Remus hadn't been expecting company that evening. He had received a text from James only minutes before requesting he put the kettle on, which was a little strange. James rarely stopped by in the evenings - and when he did, it was usually at an earlier time due to him coming straight from work.

James didn't stop by on a Tuesday evening and Remus quickly got changed out of his pyjamas and put the kettle on before tidying up a little, only stopping when the knock came at the door.

He walked over, opening it. "Hey…" he trailed off at the sight of another man at James' side. He was immediately captivated.

"Remus, this is Sirius, the solution to all of your problems!"

The man's eyes found Remus' and he stared back. "My… problems?" Remus asked, his mind going blank. He couldn't think of anything but this man in front of him.

"Yeah. You need an Omega to pretend to be your boyfriend. Sirius needs someplace to stay. It's an arrangement that suits everyone."

Remus dragged his gaze over to James. "Come in," he said. "Sirius, go into the living room. I need to talk to James privately."

Sirius walked past him and Remus' gaze followed for a moment before moving back to James. He grabbed James' arm, dragging him to the kitchen.

"You're bribing someone to date me?"

"No. I made a deal so he'd pretend to date you," James replied.

"James, this won't work," Remus replied. "Did you see him? I've never seen someone so… people won't believe I managed to get someone so handsome. Also… stay here? I'm not good company. This will not work."

"I'm homeless," came a voice from the doorway. "I need somewhere to live. I'm happy to pretend to be in a relationship with you. I have no family so I can do Christmas like James asked. I just need somewhere to stay so I can get back on my feet. I've already agreed to do this, but won't if you feel uncomfortable."

Remus hesitated. The guy looked genuine enough and Remus wasn't cold enough to tell him to leave. He couldn't turn down those puppy-dog eyes. "What are the terms?" he asked.

Sirius grinned triumphantly.

"A business arrangement. Sirius will be your flatmate. But when your parents visit or with things such as Christmas and any other event your parents come up - and the new year's party my parents are holding, he pretends to be your boyfriend."

"That could work. We could say that we have seperate rooms because we're waiting for marriage or something," Remus mused. "I have the space and it would get them off my back. Plus, no more awkward dinners where they set me up with people. But… would anyone believe that I could get an Omega like Sirius?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Sirius asked, with a slight shrug. "I can put on a good show, don't worry."

"But Mum would know I wouldn't move in with someone unless it was... A long term thing."

"Well, you say you've been dating for a few months but you didn't want to say anything until you knew it was going somewhere. In six months, you reevaluate things. Do you want to continue? Do you want to end the agreement? If it ends, Remus, your parents will leave you alone for a while. Sirius, even if things end early, I'll still make sure you're on your feet. We won't just chuck you back onto the streets."

"Yeah, we wouldn't do that," Remus assured him, his voice soft. He let his eyes find Sirius again and he was drawn in quickly.

"So… what'll it be?"

"I'm in," Sirius said, watching Remus. He knew Remus would honour the agreement and not be dodgy.

Remus nodded. He tried to tell himself that it was because he wanted to help Sirius get off the street. Not because this was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his life.

Sirius beamed at him and Remus knew it was worth it.

...oOo…

Sirius and Remus sat at the table, eating the pasta in silence. It was a little bland, Sirius decided, but it was a home-cooked meal and Sirius appreciated that.

He glanced across the table at Remus. He had been in two minds about the agreement because so many Alphas had approached him for sex before. Sirius might have resorted to stealing when things had been their worst (and stealing being food so he could eat), but he wouldn't ever sell himself.

But there was something so _honest_ about James and the opportunity was too good to pass up. What James didn't realise was that Sirius made sure he was armed. Just in case.

But he didn't need the weapon. Plus, the second his eyes found Remus, he was lost. If Remus made advances, Sirius wouldn't say no. Not that Remus would. He could tell that Remus was one of the good guys. Remus was too noble to even consider making a move.

If this wasn't the start of everything, Sirius would consider doing it himself - but there was still a chance that Remus could say no and turn him away. No, he wasn't going to rush it - it was going to play this carefully. He would get to know Remus, make sure he was as nice as he appeared to be.

He was going to become important in this Alpha's life. He was going to get to know his parents. He was going to get back on his feet and show Remus that he was worth something.

Then he was going to make a move - depending on whether these feelings remained or not. Because if Remus felt more like a friend, Sirius wouldn't ruin that. But something inside told him that Remus was going to be much more than just a friend to him.

"Thank you," Sirius said, reaching for a piece of garlic bread from the centre of the table. He ripped a slice off the baguette, noting that this wasn't fresh - it was a frozen one prepared in the oven.

But he wasn't going to complain at all.

"You're welcome." Remus hesitated. "I'm not so good with the cooking, I'm afraid. But at least it won't kill you, right."

Sirius chuckled. "Well, I don't have a job or anything. Maybe I could do some of the cooking too?" he asked. "Plus this makes a change from what I'm used to."

"Even if this ends sooner rather than later, I won't ask you to leave you know," Remus said softly. "That room is yours for as long as you need it. No strings attached."

Sirius smiled. Remus was completely genuine with his offer and it just endeared him to Sirius even more.

"I think I'll be thanking you a lot."

"And I'll be doing the same when you save me from awkward dates," Remus replied. "I was going to call my mum tonight and tell her I'm seeing someone. That gives us two weeks until Christmas to get to know each other and come up with stories."

Sirius nodded. "I was actually thinking about that. James made out you were quite shy, so I can't imagine you approaching me. Either we say I approached you, or have a sense of the truth and say James introduced us."

"Well, technically we're not lying when we say James introduced us," Remus pointed out, swirling some spaghetti on his fork. "Birthdays."

"Mine was last month," Sirius replied. "Yours?"

"March," Remus said. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"I'm Eighteen," Remus replied. "Family?" He shook his head. "Or you don't need to tell me that."

"A touchy subject," Sirius admitted. "Yours?"

"My mum and dad mostly. We've a small family. Once or twice a year we see other members of the family, but that's usually rare."

"Okay, interests?" Sirius asked, lifting the spaghetti to his lips. Remus' eyes followed the movement.

"I work in a bookshop in town, not far from James' work. I like to read mostly. I'm not all that interesting."

"I have a feeling that's a lie," Sirius retorted. "I happen to already find you fascinating."

Remus blushed slightly. "And what do you like?"

"Music, art," Sirius replied. "I used to draw a lot back when things… when I had things to draw on."

"There's a stack of printer paper in the cupboard by the computer. It might not be the right sort, but it's something," Remus said quickly. "As for… painting or… or pencils?"

Sirius shook his head. "I'll get some cheap bits with the money James gives me. I'll wait until I find a job before getting anything better."

"Are you sure? I could get you anything you need."

Sirius continued smiling. "It's already hard enough that I need the help you and James are giving. But I'm not stupid enough to turn down this help because I can't do this on my own, no matter how much I told myself I could. I'll take the help I desperately need but I won't take anything else. Having a place to live, not having to worry about things like my next meal, and having a little bit of money means that I can get some clothes and can look for a job."

"I understand," Remus murmured softly. "My first place was in a studio apartment. There was damp on the walls and the upstairs neighbours would stamp around all hours of the night. The place was falling apart but it was mine, you know. Now I have this place. It's tiny _but_ it's clean. There's no damp. There's no upstairs. There's a box room that I was using for my books… which will be turned into a bedroom for you tomorrow. Right now, the sofa pulls out so I'll take that."

"No. It's your bed. I'll take the sofa," Sirius insisted.

Remus shook his head. "I can handle a night on the sofa. I think it's about time you had a comfortable bed to sleep in. Just for a few nights until a new bed arrives. James is ordering one and he'll text me when it arrives."

Sirius turned his attention back to his food, mentally thinking about what he could do to improve it. He knew he was getting more out of this arrangement than Remus was. Maybe he could take over cooking - especially now since Remus worked and he didn't have a job. It'd be nice to do this for Remus.

The rest of the meal went by in silence and Remus insisted on washing up.

"Allergies?" he asked as he walked into the living room.

"None. What do I do about my heat?" Sirius asked. "The homeless shelter had places, but… should I go there?"

Remus quickly shook his head. "No. My friend Alice is an Omega, or James' girlfriend Lily. Perhaps she can come and stay here with you and I'll go and stay with James for a few nights. I've got a calendar up on the wall in the kitchen - just note the dates on there."

"Okay great," Sirius replied. "Tomorrow I'm going to… I have a bank account. I'll change the address of it."

Remus nodded. "Maybe we could put a bill in your name? Just because a lot of places will ask for it as proof of address."

"Good idea," Sirius replied.

"Would you like to watch a movie?" Remus asked.

Sirius nodded his head and Remus headed to the armchair, grabbing two blankets. He passed one to Sirius and turned the television on, passing the remote over to Sirius and throwing the heavy blanket over himself.

"I like to be warm," Remus admitted. "I have Netflix - you can choose whatever you want to watch."

It had been too long since Sirius had been able to choose what to watch. It was rare to even be watching the television.

"This is nice. Thank you, Remus. Thank you for giving me this chance."

Remus smiled at him. "Like I said, you're welcome as long as you like. I wasn't really using that room anyway and it's nice to have company."

"It is."

...oOo…

"Mum, I have something to admit to you," Remus said nervously. Sirius grinned at him from the other side of the sofa and Remus lost his train of thought for a moment as he looked into the beautiful grey eyes.

"Yes dear? Wait, you're not telling me that you're not coming for Christmas?"

"Oh? No, it's not that."

"Wonderful because Marie is going to come over to meet you. You remember Marie, don't you? She's the daughter of the lady who makes food at the market. You see—"

"I'm seeing someone," Remus blurted out, horrified that his mother would even consider someone like Marie. That woman wasn't right at all. She was a troublemaker and a gossip. She liked to cause arguments and was a horrible person.

"You are?" Her tone was doubtful.

"Yes, I am. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I didn't know if it was serious or not. It… I was just seeing how it went. I didn't want to tell you if it wasn't something, you know?"

"Remus, have you been keeping a relationship from me?" his mother sounded wounded at the very idea and Remus rolled his eyes.

"Only until today. You see, I want to bring my… boyfriend… to meet you. We've been taking it slow, but it's clear to us both that things are getting really serious now and… and I really want you to meet him."

"How long have you been together?"

"Love, how long has it been?" Remus asked softly.

"Almost six months," Sirius replied. "Is that your mum on the phone - send my love. Tell her I can't wait to meet her."

"He sounds very polite," Hope said approvingly. "Six months is a long time to keep a secret."

"I know. I'm sorry but… Sirius just moved in with me. I wanted you to know before I just turned up with him at Christmas."

"Remus John Lupin, you had better be treating him with respect. Just because you're living together, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be talking or thinking about marriage."

"Mum, we're a long way off from marriage," Remus replied. He couldn't help but picture Sirius in a suit. Their bonding. Mating after. Sirius naked. "We'll be up in a few days. I'll text you but I have to go. We're about to have dinner."

"We'll talk about this marriage thing when you're here," Hope insisted. "Tell Sirius that I can't wait to meet him. Does he have any allergies?"

"No allergies."

Sirius shifted closer to the phone.

"What about his favourite meals?" Hope asked.

Sirius held out his hand for the phone and Remus reluctantly passed it over.

"Hello Mum," he said, dropping back onto the sofa. "Now I know what you're going to say. Why haven't I made an honest man out of your son? Well, there's still a lot we don't know about each other. For a start, I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you - but that'll change soon enough."

She laughed. "I'm angry at that boy. Six months I've missed out on. How did you meet?"

"I wish I had time to tell you - but Remus has just rushed to serve up dinner so unfortunately we'll have to keep this very short. It'll give us a lot to talk about when we meet though."

"And will you only be staying for a few days?" Hope asked. "I'm sure your family will want to spend time with you both too."

Sirius hesitated. "I'm estranged from my family," he murmured. "But their loss is your gain. We'll be there all over Christmas, if that's okay."

"Of course." Her voice softened at the idea that he was estranged from his family. "Well, you're a part of this family now, my darling, so I need to know what you like to eat. What's your favourite meal?"

"Shepherd's pie," Sirius said. "Though I'll eat anything except seafood. I'm not a fan. I like fish and tuna, I just don't like things like prawns and crabcakes and stuff."

"I make a wonderful shepherd's pie, did my son tell you?"

"He did," Sirius confirmed.

"Excellent. I'll make it for you the day you come up. Well, I'll let you go and eat. I'll talk to you soon. I can't wait to meet you… so… between you and me, is marriage in the cards?"

Sirius glanced at Remus who was hovering by the door, listening to Sirius' responses.

"If he asks," Sirius replied softly, knowing Remus didn't have a clue what his mother had just asked. "It's been lovely to finally speak to you and I can't wait to meet you."

He hung up the phone and handed it back to Remus. "Your mum sounds lovely," he said. "You're very lucky!"

"I am," Remus replied. Their fingers brushed as he took the phone. "You know… even when this is over, you're welcome to spend things like Christmas with my family."

"I'd like that very much," Sirius admitted softly as he wondered how someone as utterly beautiful and perfect as Remus was still single. Well, their loss was his gain. Remus was his now, whether he realised it or not. Sirius was going to somehow make Remus fall in love with him.

Because he was certain he was already falling in love with Remus.

And he knew that Remus was being affected by Sirius' presence, based on the constant blush or the adorable smile every time he looked at Sirius.

"So… dinner? How do you feel like bacon?" Remus asked. "I was thinking bacon or sausages with chips."

"Both," Sirius said. "Forget the chips and I'll take some bread instead. It's been forever since I've had a sausage and bacon sandwich."

...oOo...

"I'm sorry, my dears, there was a hole in the roof and it's caused some damp in the small bedroom. We can bring the bed through to the large one. It'll be a tight fit but…"

"I'll take the sofa," Remus replied. "Don't worry yourself, Mum." He leaned in and placed a kiss on her cheek. "I've missed you."

"Of course you have," she replied. "You should take a job down here at a local school instead. I'd be able to see you all of the time. Babysit any babies you and Sirius have." Her gaze moved past Remus. "And here he is. It's about time you brought him." She pushed Remus out of the way, wrapping her arms around Sirius. "How are you, darling?"

"I'm good," Sirius replied, clutching the handle of his suitcase with one hand as he hugged Hope in return. "I hope you're alright. Does it snow often in Wales?"

She shook her head, smiling warmly at Remus and Remus felt a pang of something in his chest. He felt guilty at lying to his mother about this relationship and he felt bad about putting Sirius into a position like this where he had to lie. He could see the expression on Sirius' face as Hope's arms wrapped around him - as though he wasn't used to it.

Sirius had no-one and now had to pretend to be a part of a family.

A surge of protection welled up through Remus. It had been five days. Five days of Sirius living with him and being excellent company. Sirius was a better cook than he was, he was smart, funny and charming.

He also smelt amazing and Remus had no regrets until that moment about the plan.

Because he liked what they had. He'd like it more if there was a real romance. He could see it. The two of them together like they were now, but instead of this big space on the sofa, there would be no gap. Sirius would be curled up next to him. Sirius would be sleeping in his bed. Sirius would be joining him in the shower.

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. Sirius had just fit into his life so easily and Remus knew he needed to make it so perfect that Sirius wouldn't want to leave.

...oOo…

"I love him," Hope whispered, dragging Remus to the kitchen under the ruse that she had to check on her shepherd's pie. "I was a little concerned that you were in a relationship that you had to keep secret and was worried that you had one of _those_ relationships, but Sirius is a sweetheart."

"He's great," Remus replied with a smile. "Things are going well."

"Me and your father were talking and we think it's time to pass on this engagement ring. Sirius feels like a part of the family already and… and no pressure or anything, but it's best you have it. You might suddenly realise that this is where you want things to head. Kids, married—"

"Mum, if me and Sirius have children one day, it won't be soon," he insisted. "We've got lives to lead. I'm not against the idea but Sirius is looking for work and he'll want a career and I can't expect him to give up that so he can look after children."

"If you move to Wales, I can look after your children," Hope insisted. "There won't be giving up anything."

"Mum, we're taking things slow. We're not even thinking of marriage right now."

"Maybe you're not. Have you taken into consideration how Sirius feels? He might feel differently."

 _'If only'_ Remus thought to himself.

"And marriage is good for benefits," Hope continued.

"Mum, can we talk about something else?" Remus asked softly.

Hope nodded. "Okay, but let me say one thing. Sirius is lovely but he's not going to wait for a commitment forever. He's made good impressions on me and your father and it's clear by the way he looks at you that he adores you."

Remus nodded. If only it wasn't an act - a deal that had been made. If only that was all real.

"If it ever feels right, I'll come back for the ring," he said.

"You'll take it home with you," Hope replied. "Now get the plates out and I'll serve up dinner."

...oOo…

"I don't mind sharing," Sirius said, as they began to unpack their stuff in the room.

"I don't want you to be uncomfortable," came the reply.

"I won't be. I trust you," Sirius replied. "I know you're a good guy. I trust you and I'm fine to share a bed."

Remus hesitated, watching as Sirius put the last of his clothes into a drawer and flopped down onto the bed.

"So, I was wondering… why are you single? I can't work it out. Do you have a weird kink? Do you secretly wear frilly knickers, because I can be into that."

Remus hesitated, but took a seat on the bed anyway. "I'm not like other Alphas… not like all of them," he said.

"What? Wait - is this because you like to read all of the time?"

Remus shook his head. "I… I like to… be… I'm not into Alphas - not that there's anything wrong with that… but... I like Omegas and Betas… but…"

"But?" Sirius pushed.

"I like to… bottom," Remus whispered, his eyes closing.

"Fuck," Sirius whispered. "That's kinky."

Remus took a nervous breath.

"That's actually pretty hot," Sirius continued, lowering his voice. "Bet you need an Omega with a big cock for that."

"I… I didn't…" his eyes opened and he saw the look on Sirius' face. "Oh. That would complicate things."

Sirius shrugged slightly. "After these few days, I'd consider us friends. We could step that up to friends with benefits. I have heats that are a hell of a lot easier with an Alpha to ease me through, you have ruts which sound like a lot of fun… and the rest of the time, whenever we're in the mood, I'll fuck you."

Remus closed his eyes again. Clearly this conversation was a dream.

"Think about it," Sirius said, closing his own eyes. "I'm going to take a nap. We can talk about this after you get home if you prefer."

Remus smiled slightly. Sirius had called the flat 'home', which meant he thought of it as home.

As much as he wanted to take Sirius up on the offer, he felt like he was taking advantage. Sirius needed somewhere to live and maybe felt like he needed to do things for Remus that he shouldn't feel like he had to do.

Maybe once Sirius was working and the relationship was more equal, he could take Sirius up on the offer.

"I'm going to take a shower," he replied. A cold one. He needed to get away from Sirius and not stare at him stretched out on the bed and get ideas.

...oOo…

Christmas was quiet. Remus had given Sirius a new phone, which was a necessity really, and Sirius had used some of his money to get Remus a new sweater and some books.

Remus hadn't expected anything.

But they were now home and all Remus could think about was Sirius' offer. Now that there wasn't family obligations keeping them distracted, he could focus on the idea of a sexual relationship with his roommate. He knew Sirius was going to approach him, so he made sure to order some food and waited until the meal was finished before bringing it up.

"I don't think it's a good idea," he said, once everything had been cleared away. "It's tempting because… I've started to care about you these past few weeks, but if anything happened… nothing can happen because I'd feel like I was taking advantage of you."

"Why?" Sirius asked softly.

"Because right now I'm helping you and so is James. Maybe you're offering because you think you owe me."

Sirius' mouth turned down. "Or maybe I offered because I actually want you - did you think of that?" he snapped. "I wouldn't offer if I didn't want it. I've never made this offer before. Perhaps you shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't… but I can't help but feel like it would be a bad idea like if you weren't happy with the arrangement but felt you couldn't tell me without affecting things? Or—"

"What about if I was working? If I wasn't relying on money from James and if I was paying towards the rent?" Sirius asked. "We'd be equal then."

Remus hesitated. "I don't know if I could be in a romantic relationship with someone and just keep it casual," he admitted softly. "What if I fell for you? What if you fell for me?"

"What if we fell for each other?" Sirius quickly added. "Would that be so bad?"

"I don't think that would be a bad thing. But can we wait until this feels like less of an agreement and more of…"

"A friendship?" Sirius finished.

"Yes."

Sirius nodded. He could do that. He could build up a friendship. From Remus' choice of words, Remus wasn't against something happening between them, and though he was wrong when he said it was taking advantage, it was sweet really that Remus was so _nice_ and wanted things to be just right.

"Well, just for the record, I'm not against anything happening," Sirius offered softly. "I honestly don't know why you're single. If I were lucky enough to be one of the Omegas that James or your mum set you up with, I'd have made sure to win you over."

"But… but…I told you the thing I like," Remus whispered, eyes wide.

"It sounds like a lot of fun," Sirius murmured, shifting closer to Remus, he bit his lip as he imagined Remus on his knees, begging _him_ rather than the other way around. "In fact, I bet you'd look beautiful like that."

Remus stared back and Sirius wondered if he could get away with a kiss.

Probably, but Remus had made it clear what he wanted so Sirius smiled, leaning in and pressing his lips to Remus' cheek.

"When you change your mind, you know where to find me," he replied. "Also, my heat is in about three days so you might want to pack up for James'."

"Don't worry, I saw that on the calendar," Remus replied. "Alice will take the first two days and Lily will take the third. I have my phone so if you need anything, just text."

...oOo…

After the heat, neither of them talked about the text messages that Sirius sent. They didn't talk about Remus' replies as he helped Sirius through each bout of heat as it hit him - the messages where they forgot themselves and the rules they had decided and allowed themselves to give in to their attraction and feelings. They didn't discuss the phone calls that followed when Sirius needed Remus' voice or the way Sirius cried Remus' name.

They didn't talk about the way Remus called Sirius' name too.

...oOo…

Two and a half months. Sirius had been counting and it was two and a half months since they first met. He cooked an amazing meal for dinner, making a shepherd's pie, followed by a chocolate fudge cake which he had been trying to learn to make.

Not only was it Remus' birthday, it was also a celebration that he had gotten a job.

He was just lighting the candles when Remus walked in, shortly followed by James. "Hey Sirius, we're off out tonight. Got dates and we…" James trailed off as he walked into the kitchen, taking in the scene.

"Dates?" Sirius asked, his eyes moving around until he spotted Remus. "You… you have a date?"

"I…"

"No, it's fine. I'll save the leftovers for tomorrow," Sirius replied shortly. Before Remus could stop him, he walked from the room and into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

Why did he think that Remus would ever want him? He had gotten his hopes up on a relationship which Remus didn't really want.

When he heard the front door close, Sirius grabbed his suitcase. He had some money now - saving what James had been giving him. He had a job too. He didn't need to stay there any longer.

He began to throw the stuff he needed into the suitcase. Remus had someone else now. Their fake relationship was over. He'd go to the Omega shelter for the night and then find a place in the morning to live.

Once packed, he sat down at the table, blowing out the candles as he did. He ate his dinner and wrapped the rest up so Remus could at least have it another day.

Once done, he took his suitcase, set his key in the bowl near the door and left.

...oOo...

"So, how did it go?" James asked.

Remus smiled. "It went well. It was annoying that Sirius couldn't go himself - that his _Alpha_ had to go in his place."

"Yeah, it's shit but you said he'd be happy," James replied.

"Hopefully. He seemed upset at the idea of me going on a date. But I couldn't think up anything else to say," Remus said. "But I can explain to him now. He's got a place on the course."

James grinned. "Good luck. It looks like you're going to get some tonight."

Remus blushed. "I'm not doing this for… that, I'm doing it because I care about him."

"I know, I was just messing," James responded. "So… you sure you don't want to go out and celebrate?"

"Maybe the four of us can go out soon?" Remus requested. "When me and Sirius… you know."

"Confess your love?" James offered.

Remus smiled. "Something like that."

...oOo…

"Sirius?" Remus called as he walked into the small flat. He glanced in the living room before moving to the kitchen and finally the bedroom. It was empty.

Remus glanced around again, checking all of the rooms. Sirius never left without telling him and Remus moved more urgently, looking for a letter or anything. He checked his phone, before dialling it.

The call was cut off after one ring and Remus' eyes fell on the bowl where they kept their keys.

Sirius' key was in there.

Sirius had left without his key. He wasn't answering his phone and Remus found himself in Sirius' bedroom, opening his drawers.

He felt sick at the sight of the empty drawers. Sirius had left him.

Sirius had been so hurt at the idea of Remus with someone else, that he had left.

"James, Sirius is gone!" Remus said, frantically pulling his jacket back on as he made his way out of his place. "Help me find him. He took his stuff. He's gone for good and he can't be gone! He can't just vanish like this."

"Calm down," James instructed. "I'll be there in five. I'll get a cab straight there. Where could he be?"

"I don't know."

"Well it's short notice so he couldn't find a place in this time. The streets?"

"He took the suitcase."

"A hotel? Family? Omega Centre?"

"Where's the closest Omega Centre to where you first met him?"

James thought about it. "Get a cab to the station," he ordered. "I'll meet you there."

...oOo...

Sirius laid on his bunk, his suitcase stored in one of the lockers and he lay staring at the ceiling. It hurt to think about Remus. It hurt to hang up the call.

But this was for the best.

"Sirius!" came a shout, followed by a commotion by the door as the Beta workers began to close the doors. That was Remus' voice and Sirius was off his seat before he could stop himself.

"Remus?" Sirius pushed his way past the Betas and went through the door. "You're not allowed in this building."

"I needed to see you!" Remus said urgently. "Don't leave me."

"It's time I moved on," Sirius replied, crossing his arms. "You found someone else even though you know how I feel about you. You don't need me anymore. I have a job now so I can find my own way."

"You… you have a job?"

"Yeah. I was going to tell you tonight or tomorrow," Sirius said, not looking at him. "Let's go outside to say our goodbyes, shall we?"

"Sirius. I'm not here to say goodbye. I'm here to tell you that I wasn't on a date tonight. I was… I was going behind your back to try and do something for you. I knew you'd be angry if you found out since you want to do things yourself, but I thought that if I achieved it, you'd forgive me. And if I didn't… well, I wouldn't have to even tell you. I'm single of course. You must have an idea that you mean so much to me… right?"

"I had hoped, but…"

"We should have talked about how things get during your heats," Remus agreed. "The calls and texts and we never addressed it. I want to be with you. Sirius, come home. I love you. Please."

"You love me? But you won't even consider being with me."

"Forget everything I said about waiting. I'll do anything you want. Just please come home." Remus reached out a hand. "Please. I have a ring if you want to get married!" Remus blurted out.

Sirius began to laugh. "Let me get my case," he said. "Take me home."

Remus sighed, relieved. "Let me text James. He went to the other centre to check for you."

...oOo…

"Okay, I'm here," Sirius said, turning to Remus. "Let's talk about this - about us."

"Right," Remus replied. "We focus on the truth now. Get everything on the table."

Sirius nodded. "I need to know you're serious about me," he said. He slipped his boots off and took Remus' hand, guiding him to the sofa. "I'm sorry I left. Angry people are not always wise. I… it was silly of me to leave without talking to you."

"Sirius, I've been falling in love with you since I first saw you," Remus admitted. "My future is with you. Today I was applying to get you into art classes. It was a stupid rule where you needed an Alpha to get in, but it's a good course. I took your sketchbook to the meeting."

Sirius stared at him for a long moment. "I've been in love with you since our first meeting. I've been trying to get you to feel something in return. I want to be with you but it scares me. I've not had a proper home for a long time. My parents… it was shameful to them to have an Omega son. They tried to marry me off and gave me the ultimatum to get married or to leave. But you… I can see myself married to you. I can see myself doing a lot of things with you."

"Tell me about your job," Remus murmured.

"It's not brilliant, but a job is a job," Sirius said. "It's part time in the library."

Remus smiled. "Sounds fun. Do you think they'll put your hours around your course? I mean, if you want to take it…"

"I'll find out. So… what does this mean for us?"

"It means that we're together, if you want us to be," Remus replied. "I don't have a lot to offer. I don't have much wealth. I've only got this small place. Will I be able to make you happy?"

Sirius grinned. "It's getting late. How about we go to your bed and cuddle? Like we did at your parents' place. That's what'll make me happy. Being with you will make me happy. Nothing else matters."

"That sounds good," Remus murmured. "Am I forgiven?"

Sirius nodded. "I don't think I could ever stay mad at you."

* * *

Fairytales - Mulan - Falling in love, honour, pretending to be someone you're not.

Library Lovers - Level 2 - Pride and Prejudice - (genre) romance, (word) wealth, "angry people are not always wise"

Gobstones - Yellow - Family, Accuracy - fake relationship, (food) bacon, (song) Don't go breaking my heart

Serpents - (word) Vanish

Lent - No canon locations

Writing Club:

Character appreciation - Write about a fight

Aladdin - Write a homeless!AU

Showtime - (word) steal

Cards - Write about a family coming together

1000 - Fake dating

365 - Homeless AU


	13. Twelve

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

A is rolling into the station of a brand new town, feeling nervous about not knowing anyone or where they should be going next - and just as A steps off the train, their bag catches on something and rips open! Contents spill everywhere. B notices and stops a (somewhat embarrassing) item from rolling onto the tracks and hands it over to A with a questioning look.

* * *

12

Title - A Happy Arrangement

* * *

Sirius was almost in tears by the time he reached his train station. Everything he owned was packed into one suitcase, as though this case summed up his life.

Well… that and the baby. Though it was so small that it didn't even make an impression on his stomach, it was there. It was the reason why he had to leave home. An unmated pregnant Omega was the most shameful thing in the world it seemed and his parents were too proud to admit what had really happened.

Yet… in all of his misery, all of his plans on where the hell to go, his father had sorted something for him. It wasn't the grand wedding between Sirius and someone important that they had planned, but Orion had made sure he'd at least have somewhere to go.

And when Sirius called the number on the card, he found out his father had done more than that. Dorea Black, his mother's aunt, had talked happily about having found Sirius a husband. A man who she knew well who would be happy to take on Sirius.

The day he left was the day his mother tried to poison his soup. The bowls had gotten mixed up and somehow Regulus had received Sirius' portion. He had later found out that the herbs placed inside the soup would cause him to lose the baby.

Though Sirius wasn't sure how he would do it, the idea of someone taking _his_ child away made him more angry than anything. He left to protect his precious bundle. What mattered to him was that his baby survived.

Part of him wanted to stay on the train, to keep running until there was nowhere to go. But he wasn't stupid. Marrying this Alpha was his only hope. Otherwise he'd be exiled from pretty much anywhere. Or he'd somehow have to prove he had an ex-Alpha who had died. But without a mating mark, that was easier said than done.

...oOo...

Sirius struggled with the suitcase where the strap had caught on the steps of the train. It jerked free, almost flying through the air and bursting open. Sirius lost his balance and fell, though thankfully not on his stomach. It was all going wrong. First the train had arrived late, then the suitcase. Now he had to rush to find his new home.

"Are you alright?" a man asked, rushing over to Sirius, frowning slightly as he helped Sirius up. "Let me help you with your case."

"I can manage," Sirius insisted, already heading to the case. He quickly pushed some items back inside where they were trying to fall out and began doing the zip.

"You dropped your… dog toy," the man said, reaching down and scooping a raggedy black dog up and inspecting it.

"That's for…" Sirius hesitated. No. The plan was to pretend he was the boyfriend of some guy and that he got pregnant straight after their wedding. He couldn't tell the truth. "Something from my childhood," he continued. "Sentimental thing." It was a lie really. He had made it in his attempts at knitting.

"Ah," the man said, not quite convinced. "It doesn't look that old. Weird, yes. Not old."

"Hey, I spent weeks working on that," Sirius retorted.

There was a moment of silence whilst the man stared and Sirius began to feel uncomfortable. He reached for the dog toy, but the stranger didn't try and give it back.

"Don't touch my things," Sirius finally snapped, snatching it and clutching it protectively. This was for his baby and he didn't want this Alpha to stink it up. He began to walk away, looking for a place to get a cab, but the man followed.

"Are you following me?" Sirius snapped.

"Would your name happen to be Sirius?"

Sirius nodded slowly and the man beamed at him.

"I'm James," he said. "I'm your cousin. Mum told me to wait here for you so we can go to the church."

"Church?" Sirius whispered. He was a little relieved that James wasn't some weirdo who wanted to follow him around like a creeper. He was family and one of the few people who wanted to help Sirius.

James nodded. "Yeah. It's time for you to marry Remus." He glanced around. "Every day matters," he said softly. "The ceremony was due to start a few minutes ago so we're late… but you couldn't help it because the train was late. I've been keeping up with it on my phone. Part of me thought you wouldn't ever arrive. Maybe you'd get off at another station or stay on the train. I'm relieved. Remus is excited and it's nice to see him happy."

"And what of this Remus?"

"He's quiet, he likes to read and he wouldn't hurt a fly. He's kind and sweet and my best friend."

"And why does he want a knocked up Omega?" Sirius pushed.

James shrugged. "I'm not sure, but when your father contacted my mother for help - she's a doctor but I'm not sure what they could be discussing. She went straight to him. Remus isn't good at meeting people. He's very shy."

Sirius nodded slightly. This Remus bloke sounded dull. But better a shy bookish Alpha than a crazy one.

"Come on - I've got Dad's car. Here, take my coat and scarf. You're shivering. Do you even own a coat?"

"A leather one… somewhere," Sirius replied, accepting the warm coat. He allowed James to carefully wrap the scarf around his neck. "Why are you being so nice when you don't even know me?"

"Because we're family," James replied. "Because you're marrying my best friend. Because I'm a good guy."

Sirius smiled. This was the sort of family he could get used to.

...oOo...

The smell hit him as he walked into the church and he felt sick. The scent was that of a potential mate - it was rare for the scent to be so strong, yet it was. That meant he'd have to smell a mate as he walked down the aisle towards a stranger that he would be forced to spend his life with.

But he still walked in, James at his side. He didn't like the wedding waiting on him. He felt like the bride doing the bridal walk and that made him uneasy, yet he continued on, not looking at the guests that filled the first row on each side.

His gaze was fixed on a man at the front and as he moved closer, he realised that the scent was coming from his future husband. The second he realised it, the man turned, amber eyes meeting his and Sirius froze where he was standing.

The man was handsome and there was just something in his eyes that zinged inside of Sirius. Suddenly he couldn't wait to reach the end - to meet this Alpha as quickly as possible.

He walked forward again, his eyes fixed intently on his future husband.

"We're here - the train was late, suitcase broke, but we made it. Take it away!" James moved to stand next to Sirius, taking the place of his best man whilst another short man stood next to Remus.

"Sirius Black," he whispered, as he reached the front.

"Remus Lupin," came the reply. "So… nervous?"

"A little less so," Sirius replied. "You?"

"First wedding. A lot to be nervous about," Remus replied, his lips curving into an adorable smile. "I'm a little scared."

"Don't be scared. I don't bite… I wait until the honeymoon for that."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "How did you know I was into that?" he asked.

Sirius grinned. "You look like the sort."

The priest cleared his throat and the pair turned their attention to him instead.

...oOo...

"I'm sorry this all happened so quick," Remus said, once the pair had a moment alone at the party afterwards. James had organised a meal in the nearby diner, renting it out for the afternoon. It wasn't the reception Sirius had always dreamed of, but it was fun and laid back and it was better than he imagined. He had met Remus' parents, their best friends, Alice, Frank and Peter and finally he had met James' parents. The group all seemed privy to the secret, but Sirius had questions.

"Why?" he asked. "Who wants a pregnant Omega?"

Remus looked embarrassed. "Me actually," he admitted. "I was told that you just need a husband in name. Just someone to look out for you and help you raise the baby. Someone to be a father to the child."

"I don't understand."

"Not many people around here know this… my parents and James' mum since she's my doctor… but it would be very rare for me to father a child," he admitted. "I would love to be a father but… but who wants a broken Alpha? When Dorea came to me saying that there was an Omega who needed a father for his baby, I couldn't say no. Even without meeting you and without knowing a thing about you, I had a chance to be a father and I couldn't pass that up. How could I turn down the chance to have a family?"

Sirius smiled softly. "I don't think you're broken. In fact, I think what I've heard here is pretty perfect. So… fancy getting out of here, husband? Start our honeymoon?"

Remus' eyes widened slightly. "You need to be clearer," he said softly. "I need to be sure that I'm not just jumping to conclusions."

"Well, I'm an Omega, you're an Alpha and we're married. Unless you want to keep this as a friendship?"

"You mean you want more?" Remus asked, lowering his voice. Sirius could see the hope in his eyes. "You want this to be real?"

Sirius nodded. "Marriage is for life. I'm not saying we need to suddenly fall in love and stuff… I just mean that we're married and I fancy you a lot. So why not take me home and mark me?"

"M...mark?"

"Yeah. People should see a mark before we announce our pregnancy," Sirius replied. "And you smell really good." He trailed a finger up Remus' arm. "So… let's make this marriage completely official, shall we?"

Remus cleared his throat. "Guys, Sirius is feeling a little tired from his journey. We're going to head home now."

Remus' parents began fussing around Sirius to make sure he was okay, but James smirked at Remus as he pulled Remus aside.

"Do you need any tips?"

"Shut up," Remus muttered. "I know what to do." He pulled away from James and put a protective arm around Sirius.

"Are you sure? I could give you a tour or show you around your new home."

"The tour around our new home sounds fine. As long as we start with the bed," Sirius murmured. He grinned as Remus blushed again, knowing that he was going to enjoy being married after all. His first thoughts when James had described Remus was that he was going to be dull and boring, but now Sirius had met him, he knew this was wrong. There was clearly so much more to Remus than anyone realised.

He had a good feeling about all of this.

* * *

Assignment 4 - Write about being late

Library Lovers - Game of Thrones - Arranged Marriage, Illegitimate child, murder attempt

Gobstones - Grey Stone - protection - "Don't touch my things" "I spent weeks working on that" "Are you following me?"

Snake Challenge - Scarf

Lent - Write about someone being exiled/exiling themselves

Writing Club

Character Appreciation - Devoted Husband

Book Club - (emotion) pride, (plot) exile (word) survive

Showtime - "Take it away."

Buttons - Toy

Cards - Write about someone preparing for something important

Liza's Loves - James Potter

365 - Trope - Arranged Marriage


	14. Thirteen

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

New prompt: "I came to get tools to do some landscaping and you're hiding in my shed after you got inadvertently sucked into a game of Hide and Seek with the local kids"

* * *

13

Title - Hide

* * *

Remus let out a sigh as he stood up from the table. He put his cup by the sink and headed towards the back door, glancing at the clock on his way.

The clock said that Teddy was home which meant that his son and grandchildren weren't on their way over yet. He was probably still asleep. The kids were spending two weeks with him whilst Teddy went on a second honeymoon with his husband.

Remus had a lot to do and it was best he did it before his son arrived. The kids were quite demanding and seemed to find Remus' chocolate wherever it was hidden.

He flicked his wand at the cup, choosing to save himself the few seconds, before heading out and to his shed. Thankfully it had rained in the early hours of that morning, meaning he didn't have to water his crops. It's what Remus liked about spring - the fact that sometimes the weather did his work for him. He could focus on cutting the hedge. But when he opened the shed, a man was standing in there, looking just as surprised to see him.

A jar fell from his hand, hitting the counter and the man looked embarrassed.

"Who are you?" Remus asked.

"Er…" the man replied and there was a long moment of silence.

"If you're robbing me, go ahead. There's nothing valuable in here," Remus said, reaching for the shears and closing the door behind him. It was too early to be dealing with this.

The man followed him out but hovered by the door. "I'm sorry," he said. "I thought this was on the next farm's property. I didn't realise until I came in that it wasn't mine. I got my border line mixed up."

"Yours?"

"Yes. I moved in a couple weeks ago. Not really for the farming but because of the grandkids. Nice open fields…" he caught sight of the wand tucked in Remus' sleeve. "A wizard?" His gaze moved to Remus' scar. "A werewolf."

Remus turned back to the man, taking in his features. The man was around his own age, early sixties, and there was a lot of black hair though it was streaked with grey. He reached for his own hair which had been going grey since he was in his thirties. Why hadn't he brushed it properly before leaving the house?

How could he have known that an attractive man had moved into the next farm?

"Why were you in there?" Remus asked.

"Grandkids. They told me to hide. I'm Sirius Black. Do you live here with your wife then?"

"No wife. She passed away some years ago. My son lives in town and my grandkids come over often."

The man nodded. "Maybe you could come over for tea - bring your grandkids. They can all play in the garden - it'd be good for them all to make friends because I have a feeling we'll be getting to know each other. Much much better, of course."

Remus smiled and went to answer, but the man quickly slipped back into the shed, hiding once more.

A minute later, Sirius slipped back out of the shed. "That was a close one," he said, glancing around to make sure no kids were nearby. "So… I'll go in and put the kettle on for us, yeah?"

He walked off towards Remus' house and Remus didn't answer. Instead he watched Sirius, admiring the shape of his arse.

It was a strange morning and Remus glanced down at the shears before putting them back into the shed. Maybe a second cup of tea was a good idea. He could do the hedges tomorrow.

* * *

Library Lovers - Level 3 - Alice in Wonderland - (item) clock, (action) falling, "Who are you"

Gobstones - Black - Spring - Shape - Jar - kettle

Lent - Only characters over 60

Character appreciation - (setting) shed

Disney - Write about a close call

Liza's Loves - Write about a grandparent

1000 - 610 words

365 - Trait: family-orientated

Cards - Neighbour AU


	15. Fourteen

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

My mother said I needed hobbies and i'm not big on sports so I joined this embroidery class and you're weirdly passionate about this and I didn't know my type included 60 year old grandmothers stuck in teenager bodies but apparently it does because at this point this class is my favourite part of the week.

* * *

14

Classes

* * *

The local area offered nothing in way of activities. Well, there were sports activities but little else really. So Remus, in hopes of getting his mother off his back, signed up for one of the classes that actually _were_ offered.

He thought he'd sign up for a few weeks and quit and maybe it'll be enough for his mother that he tried. Or better yet, he'd go to the library next door after his mother dropped him off. She could think he was going to the club, he'd get to read books. It was a win win.

Remus opened his wardrobe, pulling out a cardigan and slipping his arms into it. He grabbed his phone and keys and left, knowing he didn't need to bring anything with him. The fee was £3 but that included tea and a biscuit. The wool was easy to get as they sold it in the pound shop and he had some cheap needles.

...oOo…

"Hi Dorea, how are you?" Hope said, approaching a woman who had walked out of the building a minute after Remus.

"Hope Lupin. It's been ages. How are you?"

"I'm good. I'm just picking up my son. He joined a new club here."

"That's good! I run the knitting club," Dorea replied. "Which one did your son join?"

Hope turned to Remus. "I suppose it was too much temptation by sending you to a club next to the library?" she asked.

The woman said her goodbyes, sensing an issue and began to walk away and Remus glared after her. She could have been more careful in what she said and not given him away. This was a betrayal and now he didn't want to join the knitting club at all.

"I'll go next week," he muttered.

"You will," Hope replied sternly. "As much as I approve of your love of books, you need something else."

...oOo…

Remus walked in, clutching a bag with his wool and needles. His mother walked in behind him, paying for both of them before finding a seat. Remus glanced around. The seats were comfortable and he felt really out of place as everyone there was older than him.

Except for a dark-haired teen in the corner.

Remus stared at him for a long moment before walking over. "Can I sit down?"

The guy jumped at the words, his head whipping around. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, I just thought… I'll go and sit over there." He went to move away again, but the guy leaned over, grabbing his wrist.

"Wait. I didn't mean… I'm not used to sexy-cardigan wearing guys walking in here and wanting to sit with me."

"W...what?"

"You can sit on my lap if you like?" the guy offered hopefully, his grey eyes moving slowly down Remus' body before moving to his eyes again. "It's more comfortable than these chairs, I assure you."

He let go of Remus' wrist and patted his lap invitingly. Remus silently moved to the nearby chair, certain his cheeks were red, and sat down. When he looked back, he could see disappointment on the other guy's face.

...oOo…

"I'm Sirius," the guy said, his hands moving quickly as he knitted.

"Remus." Remus tried to fix the wool back onto the needles and glared at them for not behaving.

"Cute name for a cute guy," Sirius said. "Will you be coming back next week?"

Remus glanced back, noticing Sirius was already packing away his needles. "I… yeah," he said, "Will you be here?"

Sirius nodded. "I come to three classes a week."

"Oh… yeah, I was just thinking I need extra lessons," Remus replied. "Maybe I should come more often."

"Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays," Sirius insisted. He stood up. "Here. I knew I had to make it the moment I set eyes on you. I'll see you on Thursday."

Remus glanced at the gift as Sirius walked away. "It's magnificent," he whispered to himself, carefully examining the large knitted red heart.

* * *

Library Lovers - Floor 2 - Chronicles of Narnia - (Object) wardrobe, (word) magnificent (plot) betrayal

Serpents - Whisper

Lent - 666 words

1000 - Cardigan

365 - Characters from only one era


	16. Fifteen

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

* * *

15

The Deal

* * *

Sirius watched the happy couple laughing over dinner and his eyes narrowed. When he had planned this ruse, there was no boyfriend or partner in the picture and he wondered if he took too long in his planning. Had he moved forward quicker, there wouldn't be a boyfriend to get rid of.

He watched as the pair clinked glasses, Benjy's boyfriend laughing happily… and he waited. Sirius watched until the man left and he followed. He'd find out where the guy lived and approach him.

...oOo…

An hour later, he was sitting in his car outside of a small apartment. He couldn't see through the slightly opened curtains and decided the best thing to do was to nip this in the bud.

He got out of his car, walked over to the house and picked the lock. It didn't take long for him to find the man sitting on the sofa.

The man looked surprised to see him, setting his book down quickly. "Knocking is the more acceptable way to meet someone at their house," he said softly.

"Well, this is important," Sirius said. "You're standing in the way."

The man looked behind him before standing up. "I can move to wherever you want," he said. "Tell me what you want. You can just walk away and I won't call the police."

"I'm not here to hurt you," Sirius assured him. "You see, I was in the street a few weeks ago and I happened to see… to see your boyfriend. I saw his wrist. I saw that he's _my_ soulmate and…" he approached the other man, yanking up the sleeve of his cardigan, revealing the mark. "Wait."

"Yes, my boyfriend - _my_ soulmate," the stranger said, attempting to pull his arm back.

"No," Sirius murmured. "How is your arm smudged?"

"Wait." The man pulled his arm back. "Show me your wrist?"

Sirius offered his wrist. "See, your mark is slightly different. It has that… smudged look. I'm really his soulmate so you need to back down."

The man grabbed his wrist with one hand, licked his finger on his other hand and dragged it over the mark.

"It appears as though yours has the smudged quality too," he said, smirking. His amber eyes were filled with amusement. "Perhaps we should sit down and have a cup of tea?"

Sirius sighed. "Yeah, why not."

...oOo…

"You're here to scam him," the man - Remus - said.

"You're already scamming him," Sirius accused.

"So therefore you have no reason to bring this to his attention. You ruin this for me, I'll point the finger at you and we both lose."

"And if I keep your secret, you'll give me a cut."

Remus shrugged his shoulders. "Why should I do that? Why don't you find someone else to scam?"

"Too much work. Can I help your scam move along?" Sirius reached for one of the offered wipes, removing the substance from his arm. Having it on too long could cause a rash. He watched Remus do the same.

"Maybe," Remus ran a hand through his hair before pouring the drinks. Sirius watched carefully until Remus was sitting down.

"How is the con going?"

Remus smiled. "Well. According to plan." His gaze drifted down to Sirius' wrist. "Sirius, can I see your hand?"

Sirius offered it. "Can I smoke in here?" he asked.

Remus didn't answer, distracted at the sight. "Your mark…"

Sirius looked at the mark. Now it wasn't covered by the special ink, it showed the half-moon and what looked to be a star cut from it. "Yeah, what about it?"

"Is this what it really looks like?"

Sirius nodded. Remus silently extended his hand, twisting it to show his own wrist.

Sirius stared for a long time. "This complicates things," he said.

Remus smiled. "The question is - did you ever want your soulmate? I mean, what was your plan when you found me?"

"Truthfully I thought I'd have pulled off a few more cons. I'd be able to provide you with a nice house, a nice life. Did… did you want a soulmate?"

Remus shrugged. "I hoped they'd be someone impressive." As the hopeful expression in Remus' eyes died down, he quickly continued. "And I'm impressed so far. I like you, Sirius. I like that we have the same line of work. That I won't have to lie about my past with you. I accept you as my soulmate. But where does this leave us?"

"We can leave this world and go about everything honestly…. Or we could continue, doing cons but working together."

"I like the second option," Remus said softly. "Rules?"

"You don't have sex with them," Sirius requested. "I won't. No… sexual stuff because you're _my_ soulmate."

"Not yet. The bond doesn't take until I fuck you."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. Remus hadn't come across as the sort of person to swear and the word sounded strange from his lips. "Fuck me then," he replied.

Remus smiled. "We're not done here."

"Right. Did you sleep with him?"

Remus shook his head. "I never do."

"Good. I can forgive you for dating someone else," he said. "So rules… we continue to do cons, we don't have sex with our targets. Only with each other." Sirius pulled Remus away from the table. "Where's your bedroom?"

"Sofa is closer," Remus replied, pushing Sirius towards the sofa. "Tomorrow I'll introduce you as my cousin or something. We'll work details out later. For now… get naked."

"Nice place you got here," Sirius called as Remus went to the bedroom to get what he needed.

"You mean _we_ ," Remus replied. "As though I'm going to let you out of my sight."

Sirius grinned. "I hope you have a big bed."

"You'll find out after we're done in here."

* * *

Assignment 4 - Write about joining forces

Library Lovers - Floor 2- Jane Eyre - Locked Door - A proposal, Forgiveness

Serpents - AU Soulmate

Lent Challenge - 960

Card - Write about deception

365 - A character discovers treachery of some sort

1000 - Title: The Deal


	17. Sixteen

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

A is at a library and stumbles across an aisle that they had never noticed before. The shelves are lined with large old books with covers in mostly unrecognisable languages. A is strangely drawn to one book in particular, and when their hand grazes its spine, A is transported to Olympus – and standing before them is B, a literal Greek God(dess).

* * *

16

Not So Dull

* * *

Life was dull. Remus wanted something exciting to happen, yet nothing ever did - well, not to guys like him. His life consisted of working in a library.

The most excitement he ever had was putting away new books that had been sent from other libraries. Sometimes there was something that peaked his interest. But the other staff members had been in charge of that, leaving Remus with nothing to do. He hated that they would volunteer to do the fun job and leave him with the tiresome ones.

A dark-haired man moved from a table, dropping a book in the process and Remus let out a quiet sigh. If only people put books back, it'd save him a lot of work. It would only take them a few seconds yet they just threw the books anywhere. He had found them on top of the bookcases, under the tables. Dropped down the back behind the computers. It annoyed him so much.

He stormed over to the book, glancing around to glare at the man, but the guy was nowhere to be seen. He reached for it, his eyes widening at the sight. The book wasn't one of theirs and it looked valuable. But there was something familiar about it.

His fingers wrapped around it and a spinning sensation made him feel sick. He fell to his knees.

And when he stood up, he realised he wasn't in the library anymore.

...oOo…

"Who dares disturb my sleep?" came a voice from behind the row of pillars. Remus tried to look around but couldn't see past the shimmer. He didn't dare try and touch.

Remus didn't know how to respond. He remained silent, clutching the book against him. A moment later a man walked out from behind a pillar, pure-white cloth draped over him which was doing very little to actually cover him where it was required. Remus averted his gaze, choosing to cling to the book.

The man was silent for a long time. "You should bow before a God," he said finally.

"You're a God?" Remus asked.

The man looked confused and Remus risked glancing at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Remus. I touched this book and it brought me here," Remus blurted out, thrusting the book to show the man or God or whenever he was. "I'm sorry, I'm not from around here."

The man strode over, grasping the book and examining it. His eyes widened. "It's you. I've found you again."

"What?" Remus asked.

"This book is a book of destiny. I made it myself. It was supposed to bring my soulmate to me. It brought you, which means you're my soulmate and therefore I'll spend our lives worshipping you and—"

"I have a home and a family," Remus blurted out. "This sounds… it actually sounds amazing, you're gorgeous and who wouldn't want you to worship them? But… but I love my parents and… and I have friends."

The God frowned. "But… but you're my soulmate. I've waited so long for you." The haughty tone was replaced with despair.

"You don't even know me," Remus murmured.

"I didn't. Not until I set my eyes on you and saw the most beautiful man in the world. Please."

Remus hesitated. "I love my family. If things were different… if I had nothing to go back for, I'd stay."

"At least tell me where to bring you. Tell me your name."

"Remus Lupin," Remus replied. "I was in a library."

The God nodded. "I'll send you back. But can I make one request. A kiss? Just one."

Remus nodded. He didn't need to be asked to kiss this gorgeous God twice. He moved closer, and their lips brushed.

...oOo…

Remus' head was spinning as he righted himself. The memories were as clear as day in his mind, but he was standing in the library and no-one was looking at him differently. He couldn't have vanished and reappeared.

He glanced at the book - there was no sticker on it or anything. He turned to bring it to the desk, bumping into someone.

"Hi, that's my book you're holding. I dropped it here," the guy said, holding his hand out, his eyes meeting Remus'.

Remus stared at the familiar grey eyes.

"You."

A flicker of a smile but the man looked nervous. "Me. So… you had so much here that you couldn't give it up for anything - not even your soulmate. So… I waited for you. I'm here now. Is there space in your crowded life for me?"

Remus grinned. "There's always space in my life for my soulmate," he confirmed. His eyes glanced over the God's clothes. The badly wrapped cloth was gone, replaced by tight jeans, a tight t-shirt, black boots and a leather jacket. But Remus knew exactly how good the body underneath looked. "What's your name?"

"Sirius. Can you take me home? I've been wandering for a long time, searching for you, determined to find you, and I'd like to rest now."

Remus nodded his head. "Anything."

* * *

A is at a library and stumbles across an aisle that they had never noticed before. The shelves are lined with large old books with covers in mostly unrecognisable languages. A is strangely drawn to one book in particular, and when their hand grazes its spine, A is transported to Olympus – and standing before them is B, a literal Greek God(dess).

Serpent - Time-travel

Writing Club

Aladdin - Write about someone's dreaming coming true, and it not being what they wanted

Book Club - (trait) courageous, (word) volunteer, (action) vanishing

365 - Job: Librarian

1000 - God/Goddess!AU


	18. Seventeen

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

A has just been in an accident. There were cars, there were lights, there were loud crashes and the faint sound of a woman screaming. Now, A is sitting in the back of an ambulance, wrapped in a blanket and a heavy feeling of confusion. B, a paramedic, stops at A's side and asks, "How are you feeling?"

* * *

17

Fallen

* * *

Remus knew it was his own fault. He had been walking with his headphones on and he hadn't been listening to the traffic. Had he paid more attention, he'd have heard the screech of tires and been able to move out of the way.

He turned his head at the last moment. The car had collided with another. Both were skidding towards him. Though only a couple of seconds went by, it felt like everything was happening in slow motion.

The cars should have hit him, he knew that… but it was like a force threw him backwards a fraction of a second before the impact. Grey eyes and dark hair appeared only for that fraction of a second. Yes, he flew into the parked car behind, but it was something he could survive.

Screaming. Shouting. People talking to him. Before Remus could come to properly, he felt arms lifting him, carrying him.

Once set down, he opened his eyes in time to feel a blanket wrap around him. Grey eyes and dark hair again and his eyes widened.

"All that blood looks good on you. It brings out your eyes."

Remus snorted. "You saved me."

The guy didn't argue, he simply nodded. "I did. Why did I?" the question was rhetorical as though he was talking to himself so Remus didn't say anything, simply allowing his eyes to close again.

"Oh. It's because I love you."

Remus' eyes opened quickly and he stared at the man.

"What?"

"It's why I fell. I'm sorry, I couldn't think properly. Falling can give us headaches. I've saved you so many times and I fell in love with you. I swore to protect you for the rest of your life. I can't do that up there because it was too close today. If I remain here with you, I'll protect you better."

"I… but… fallen?"

Sirius reached a hand out. "A fallen angel. I can prove it, but if I actually touch your bare skin, it'll mark you as my soulmate. I can't do that without your permission."

Remus nodded, not believing this man. He was clearly crazy.

Sirius pressed his hand against Remus' leg where glass had cut into his skin. Immediately the wound was gone, leaving clear skin in its place. Clear apart from a small black moon. "You humans are so fragile," he said fondly. "But this mark means you have me to protect you. Forever."

"Forever?" Remus repeated, his eyes on the mark.

"Yes. Trust me," Sirius whispered. "I'll show you my wings when we're alone. It's a little intimate to do here, but I'm yours now."

Sounds were starting to come back to Remus - he could hear shouts from outside of the ambulance and could see shadows through the panes of the doors.

"My leg! It's broken!"

"Can you let me out of here please mister - I need…"

But Sirius' fingers grazed his forehead. "Sleep now," he whispered. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Remus closed his eyes. For some reason, he felt more comforted than ever before. His angel's hand was in his and Sirius never let go.

* * *

Assignment 4 - Write about being obsessed with something (in this fic is someone - Sirius has been watching him his whole life)

Library Lovers - Floor 4 - Write about a fallen angel - soulmate!AU - (word) shadow

Serpents - Word: Fragile

Lent - Write about someone giving something important up

Book Club - Word: trust, (trait) loyal, "Can you let me out of here, mister?"

Showtime - Muggle London

Count Your Buttons - Headphones

365 - "All that blood looks good on you. It brings out your eyes."

1000 - Getting hurt

Cards - Write about somebody pure


	19. Eighteen

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Sometimes I steal flowers from your garden on my way to the cemetery/graveyard, but today you've caught me and have demanded to come with me to make sure the "girl is pretty enough to warrant flower theft" and I'm trying to figure out how to break it to you that we're on our way to a graveyard.

* * *

18

Flowers

* * *

Remus walked at a slow pace behind the man. The man had taken a rose or other flower out of his garden every week for almost a year and Remus was tired of it.

He wanted to know why.

Whether the stranger knew he was there, Remus wasn't sure. But they continued on, Remus curious to see who this man's girlfriend was that he would steal for.

They turned onto the road leading to the graveyard and a feeling of dread settling inside of him.

The man paused, turning to address that Remus was following him for the first time. "You coming?"

Remus couldn't refuse now so he merely nodded and continued to walk a few paces behind the stranger.

They walked into the gates and through the place and finally stopped at a grave. It had a few dried flowers and the handsome stranger placed the newest one there.

"My brother," he murmured softly. "He got in with the wrong people. A gang. Thanks for coming with me."

"I… just wanted to see who was good enough for you to steal flowers for," Remus admitted.

The man grinned. "I know. I could have bought flowers or picked wild ones."

"But you stole mine. Why?"

"Had to get you to talk to me somehow. So… since your schedule is free enough for you to follow me, how about dinner?"

"Isn't this a little inappropriate?" Remus asked, glancing at the grave.

"Perhaps. But I've learnt to take chances where possible. You never know how long you have."

"True. You can take whatever flowers you want."

"And I'll take you out for dinner anytime _you_ want," Sirius replied. He reached out to touch the gravestone and whispered words too quiet for Remus to hear, before turning away. "Come on, love, let's go."

* * *

Serpents - Word: Wild

Lent - 300 words

Writing Club -

Character Appreciation - (relationship) brother

1000 - Stealing


	20. Nineteen

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

A has been standing in line at the bank for what feels like a century. S/he has a long list of things to do today, and just needed to pop in real quick to the bank, but the teller is taking forever. Unfortunately for A, just as it's A's turn, there's a startled scream as someone yells, "Everybody down! This is a bank robbery!" A feels someone, B, wrap an arm around his/her waist and points a gun to his/her head. A has become B's , maybe A won't have time for laundry today after all.

* * *

19

The Bank

* * *

Remus hadn't expected his day to be disrupted so much. He expected to withdraw his rent - or part of his rent since money was tight - and go home.

Instead shots were fired, panic ensued and two masked men paced the building whilst one held a gun against his head. Remus wasn't scared. Not that he was willing to show anyway. He just took deep breaths and tried to remain as calm as possible.

After all, in movies it was the ones who fought back that got shot in the head. He'd be a compliant hostage. He wouldn't look at any of them and he'd not argue. He hoped everyone else was sensible enough to do the same. After all, one of the staff members had already been knocked out. A small man with blond hair, whilst two others had shifted over to him and were checking for a pulse.

They both looked prepared to fight and Remus willed them not to. He knew these men. The one with glasses (the bank manager) was really friendly and would always tell stupid jokes similar to the ones that Remus' dad would tell, and the other… well, the man with the grey eyes was a terrible flirt. He was awful at it. His pick-up lines were so bad, Remus wondered if he was actually joking. But either way, it always caused Remus to laugh. He'd go home thinking about the second man and hoping that his crush wasn't too obvious.

"One of you bring me to the safe," one man growled, motioning towards the manager and Remus' crush. They both hesitated, looking at each other.

"Now, or I'll shoot him."

Remus risked looking up and noticed that the gun wasn't pointed at him, it was pointed at a small boy. The boy's mother hurried to push her son behind her.

"I'll go," the manager said.

"James—"

"Sirius, we're not in a position to fight this," James replied, his eyes on the woman and the boy. "You stay here and keep everyone safe and calm. Keep an eye on Peter and... " he gestured to Remus. "I'll open the safe."

Sirius' head nodded sharply. "Stay safe."

...oOo…

"Don't shoot him again. Why are you doing this?"

Remus clutched his side, knowing that the warm substance there was blood.

"Somebody called the police," came the reply.

"It wasn't your hostage and you've been watching us for the whole time," Sirius insisted. "Anyone coming up to the doors would have seen in - so maybe someone from outside called?"

"He's right, Grey. We got the tellers out from behind the counter straight away. We took away phones. There's no way they did this."

"Can I…" a moment later, Sirius was at his side. "Someone throw me a jumper or something," he demanded. It wasn't long before a thin jumper was being held against Remus' side.

"Just let him die," a man growled.

"We can't, Grey," his accomplice said. "If they catch us, we'll get in more trouble if we killed someone."

"Who said we'll get caught. I have a way out," Grey replied. "We just need enough time to get through. If the police see us, we'll be caught. We need time. Get the hostage. We'll take him."

"No!" Sirius snapped. "He's hurt. Moving him could… I'll go. Take me instead."

"Sirius! You…" James closed his mouth at the sound of the gun clicking as it was pointed at him.

...oOo…

Remus woke up at the hospital. His mother and father were there, along with the guy from the bank.

"What happened?"

"I thought you were going to die," Sirius said softly. "You lost so much blood. I was terrified that I was going to lose you."

"Sirius saved your life. He kept pressure on your wound and that helped buy you time until the ambulence arrived. He said that if you wake up, he'll finally ask you out to dinner."

"It might be a while before I go to dinner," Remus groaned as pain shot through him. "What happened?"

"They escaped with everything. They shot someone else but he'll live. No-one died and most importantly - you're alive." Sirius reached for Remus' hand and Remus let him take it.

"You saved me. I owe you."

"You could finally go to dinner with me. I've been trying to ask you for months."

"That was you trying to ask?" Remus laughed.

"James told me that I should flirt, but apparently I'm not very good at it." Sirius let out a laugh.

"You're not, but that's what I liked about it. When I'm feeling a bit better, I'd love to go to dinner with you. You saved me."


	21. Twenty

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Day twenty: A checks into a cozy inn while on a cross-country road trip, beyond tired and ready to collapse. When A gets to the assigned room, he or she is in for a surprise! Someone else, B, is already in the room. Uh-oh.

* * *

20

Two in a Room

* * *

"There's someone asleep in my room," Sirius insisted, storming over to the front desk and showing his key-tag's room number. "I know it's a double-room but I'm sure I paid full rate. Why is there another man in my room?"

The keyboard clicked as the woman's nails pressed against the letters. She frowned. "It looks like this room was double-booked," she finally said. "We can suggest another hotel and give you a refund. It's only a couple of miles away."

Sirius sighed. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with. "I'm not leaving. I've been travelling too much and I want to sleep too," he said. "Go up there and remove the man from my room."

"I'll ask him if he's happy changing hotel," the woman said as she moved from her seat. "If you'll follow me, Sir."

...oOo…

They arrived at the room a couple of minutes later and Sirius used his key-card to open the door. The man was stirring now.

"Sir, excuse me, sir."

He looked over tiredly. "Yes?"

The woman explained the situation as Sirius stared at the man. Whilst he had been sleeping with his back to Sirius, Sirius hadn't had the chance to see how handsome he was.

"Would you like me to refund you so you can change to another hotel?" the woman offered.

"How about you refund both of us for the inconvenience?" Sirius asked. "I'll share this room but I'm not happy."

He neglected to say he was ecstatic.

"I don't mind," the other man said, smiling at Sirius. "I'm too tired to leave right now and I'd feel awful if I made someone else leave, but I agree about the refund."

The woman hastily left, leaving the two men alone.

"If you don't mind, I need to sleep. I'll make proper introductions later."

"I can't wait," Sirius replied.


	22. Twenty-One

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Day twenty-one: I joined this stupid dating website to troll people and then I met you, who also joined this site to troll people. The more we talk about how stupid some of these people are the more I'm starting to like you

* * *

21

Meeting

* * *

Sirius logged onto his computer, eagerly looking at his messages. He had signed up only to troll people, but in his attempts, he had started up a conversation with one man who seemed to be doing the same thing.

He hadn't expected anything to come from the site, let alone him falling for a man he only spoke to by email every day - yet it had happened. Sirius Black was in love!

His eyes scoured the email list and he zoned in on the one from Moony.

 _"Let's meet."_

Sirius stared at the surprising words for a long time. He hadn't expected his Moony to ever want to meet. He thought he'd have to talk to him online forever because Moony was a very private person.

 _"Yes."_ Sirius quickly sent the message and waited.

 _"Saturday?"_

 _"I'm free on Saturday."_

 _"Are you local to central London?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Okay. I'll get back to you with a time and place. I can't wait, Padfoot."_

...oOo…

Sirius looked around, hoping that Moony hadn't stood him up. After all, the other man had been a troll. One Sirius had clicked with as he was trolling too.

It was ten minutes past the meeting time and Sirius decided that his date wasn't going to show. He turned around to leave, his eyes meeting those of a stranger.

"Are you… Padfoot?" the teenager asked, brushing dark-blond hair out of his eyes and staring at Sirius intently with his amber eyes.

Sirius nodded, his face breaking out into a grin. "And you're Moony. You're even more beautiful than I pictured."

Moony blushed. "Lunch," he insisted. "I'd like to get to know you better."

"Me too," Sirius replied. He moved closer to Moony. "I was scared you wouldn't come."

"Of course I was going to come. I thought you knew how much I cared. We _do_ talk everyday."

"Fair point," Sirius replied. "So, if you care about me… does that make this a date?"

Remus chuckled. "If you want it to be a date."

"Then it is," Sirius insisted.


	23. Twenty-Two

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Day twenty-two: You are embarrassed, because the packaging isn't anywhere as discreet as the website promised. (Delivery/Postman!AU)

* * *

22

Discreet

Omegaverse

* * *

"Have a nice day," the postman said, placing the heavy box into Sirius' arms.

Sirius thanked him and took the box inside. As he set it down, he noticed something.

"Omega needs," he whispered, reading the label. He frowned at it. He had placed several orders with the company already and they were supposed to be discreet. Anyone would know that this company sold everything an Omega needed during a heat.

And now his postman knew too.

...oOo…

"Lots of packages today," Remus commented.

Sirius turned red. He had hoped Remus wasn't paying attention, but clearly that wasn't the case. Remus knew exactly what he was buying. Which is why Sirius rushed Remus away rather than taking a moment to ask after him.

"Yeah. I… I thought I'd treat myself."

Remus beamed at him. "Did you get anything nice?"

Was that a trick question? Sirius wondered. Remus would have seen the label and would have known what he had bought _and_ why.

"Just stuff," Sirius replied instead. "Personal stuff."

...oOo…

It was clear the next visit that Remus had looked properly at the label. His cheeks were red as he handed it over.

"I'm a single Omega," Sirius told him defensively, though he knew he didn't really need to explain himself - not even to the sexy Alpha.

"Don't. Don't feel like… I mean, I'm a single Alpha. I order… I have ruts and…" Remus stuttered over his words, his cheeks reddening each time.

Sirius sifted through what Remus was saying. Remus ordered stuff for his ruts. But the most important bit was that Remus was single.

"Single? Maybe we can fix that?"


	24. Twenty-Three

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Day twenty-three: I was out for a supply run when I found you in labour

* * *

23

A New Arrival

Omegaverse

* * *

Sirius thought it was a zombie at first. After all, the noises were strange, the breathing was strange. It just didn't fit into the idea of an empty, abandoned house.

Until he realised that zombies didn't actually breathe - so breathing meant someone alive. Someone most likely not bitten. Someone uncursed.

He knew their camp was so full already, but Sirius wasn't the sort to leave someone behind who needed help. He did what anyone else would do and began to follow the noise.

It didn't take long to find who was making them. He could scent the man before he even saw him. A male Omega. A pregnant one.

One about to have a baby by the sounds of it. Sirius quickly moved into the room and watched as the man's eyes widened and he stared at Sirius fearfully.

"Is there time to get you to safety?" he asked.

The man shook his head. "I was trying," he replied, his throat hoarse. "I didn't get far."

"I'm going to make sure the building is locked," Sirius said. "I'll help you by delivering this baby and get you back to the base with me."

"You don't have to," came the reply, but Sirius shook his head.

"I want to."

After all. It wasn't often someone found a potential mate these days. That's what the stranger smelt like. Though he knew that he would help anyway.

Introductions were saved for in between, when Remus was able to hold parts of a conversation before the pain took over. Sirius knew that James would be looking for him but he couldn't bring himself to leave Remus alone.

The birth only lasted a couple of hours. Sirius filled his bags whilst Remus was upstairs with the baby, recovering. It wasn't until he spotted James in the street below, did he dare to unlock the door.

"What's going on?" James asked, but Sirius was already heading back upstairs.

"Sirius, you helped when I had no-one," Remus said, smiling up at him. "Can I name my daughter after you?

Sirius beamed. "I'd love that," he admitted. "Now, this is my friend James. He's going to help us get back. Can you walk?"

Remus nodded. "I can't rush, but I feel like I can do this."

"Great. Hold on to me if you need." He slipped an arm around Remus and helped him to his feet.

"I didn't realise I needed anyone until you walked in," Remus whispered.

"Well I'm glad I'm the one who walked in," Sirius murmured. "Let's go home, shall we?"


	25. Twenty-Four

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Day twenty-four

I woke up hungover, I have no memory of last night and there's a number written on my arm. I call it and you answer the phone with "Oh its you . About last night..."

* * *

23

A Number

* * *

Remus tried the number that was on his arm for the seventh time. He couldn't work out what had happened to him. He was in a stranger's bed (clothed) and had a number scrawled on his arm in blue biro. He knew he wasn't hurt, but he needed an idea of what was happening.

He glanced at the screen of his phone and frowned. Why was this person not calling back?

...oOo…

It took two more calls and an hour of waiting before Remus got a call back. He hadn't been in a rush to leave one he realised the strangers bed was in fact a hotel-room so he had fallen back asleep, a little more relieved.

He got through to the number when he woke up again.

"Hi Remus, about last night…"

Remus cringed. This guy knew his number and name and he couldn't recall a single thing.

"I still want to take you out to dinner tonight. Can I?"

"Sure," Remus said, hoping the stranger would fill him in on events.

….oOo...

Of all the people Remus expected to see, it wasn't Sirius. He remembered Sirius from school - he had always been on the verge of being a troublemaker, but not actually causing trouble. The worst he had done was smoke cigarettes outside of the school grounds.

"You know, I've always wanted to take you to dinner," Sirius said. "When I saw you in the pub last night… well, I had to at least give you my number. But you were really out of it so I made sure to write it on your arm where you'd see it. I was scared you wouldn't call."

Remus glanced over Sirius for a long moment. He had always had a bit of a crush on Sirius - especially when they were in the same class. "I don't think I could ever say no to having dinner with you," he replied.


	26. Twenty-Five

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Day twenty-Five - Characters meet while waiting in line for the concert.

* * *

25 - Early

* * *

"You're here six hours early."

Remus stared at the man in front of him in the queue. "So are you."

"Are you a dedicated fan?"

Remus shook his head. "No, but my friend is. She made me come here early. She said she can't do it herself because she might need the loo or something to eat."

"Good idea," the guy said. "I'm here alone. None of my friends appreciate my dedication to the band. I'll just suffer through no toilet and—"

"Or we could save your spot?" Remus suggested with a shrug. "If you're here alone, that means you're alone for the next six hours. Why not sit with me and Alice? You won't be bored."

The guy stared at Remus for a long moment before a warm smile crossed his lips. "I'd like that," he admitted. "I hate sitting alone."

Remus smiled as the man turned fully around and sat back down on the ground. Alie quickly joined them, looking curiously between Remus and the guy for a moment.

"I'm Sirius - Sirius Black."

"Alice McKinnon."

"Remus Lupin."

Alice pulled out a deck of cards. "Cards are the best way to kill time," she said. "What game should we start with?"

"Strip poker," Sirius quickly said, causing Alice to frown at him.

"No way you're seeing under my jumper."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "You're gorgeous, but it's not _your_ jumper I want to see under." His gaze drifted to Remus and he winked. "Or we could play strip-snap."

"No stripping games," Remus said. "We can't do things like that in the street."

"That makes sense. I'd need to get you alone." Sirius mused for a moment. "Why don't you come to mine afterwards?" He winked at Remus and turned back to where Alice was dealing out the cards.

"If I win this round, I'll dare you to take off your trousers," Sirius muttered. "Because that cardigan and jumper are too cute to get rid of."

Remus wondered what he had gotten himself into.


	27. Twenty-Six

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Day twenty-six

This is totally awkward considering before this the only interactions we've ever had have been casual nods to each other in the hallway but there's a huge fucking spider in my bath tub and you seem like the friendly neighbour type please help me

* * *

26

* * *

At the sound of the scream, Remus was running out of his flat and into the communal stairwell, listening to find out who was in trouble. It wasn't often that someone screamed and he wasn't the only one looking out to find the trouble.

It didn't take long to work out. Sirius Black from two doors away threw himself from his room and turned his gaze on Remus.

"A giant monster spider," he gasped. "Kill it. We need fire."

"Or I could just set it free out here," Remus pointed out. "Do you need help?"

Sirius shook his head. "I'll manage. I'll just never take a bath again." His gaze moved over Remus briefly. "Or I'll share yours."

"Oh. I… let me help you," Remus offered, heading towards the flat. "Have you tried running the water?"

"I can't get close enough. It's near the taps," Sirius insisted, following him. "But even if you do, it'll just climb back up again. I hate spiders you know."

"I think I do know now," Remus replied. He walked into the flat and realised quickly that the layout was the same as his own. It didn't take more than a few seconds to find the bathroom and he stared down into the bath.

"I thought it was a big spider."

"That's massive," Sirius whispered, clinging to his arm. "Save me."

Remus rolled his eyes and turned the tap on. The spider quickly went down the drain with the water and Remus let the water drain out before putting the plug in. "Problem solved."

Sirius hugged him tightly "My hero," he replied. "Let me cook you dinner to say thank you!"

Remus laughed. "So, you'll always cook me dinner when I get rid of a spider?" he asked.

Sirius nodded. "I get a lot of spiders. You might want to clear your schedule."


	28. Twenty-Seven

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Day twenty-seven

I'm sorry I was too mesmerised by you to see the pole. What do ya mean I'm bleeding?

* * *

27

* * *

Okay, so maybe Remus had a bit of a crush on the handsome stranger that walked past the bookshop almost every day. The stranger that he sometimes saw in the coffee shop (if he timed it right). But that didn't mean he was following him to the park.

Of course not. He had planned to go to the park anyway. He wanted to take the long way home - it was good exercise and stuff.

Distracted, he took the wrong path, following his crush down the left path rather than the one on the right that'd lead to an exit closer to his house.

He had seen the man head to the park every day for almost a year. It was about time he found out what was going on.

The man stopped near a group and greeted them. Seeing that he was going no further, Remus decided he couldn't just turn and walk away - he'd have to pass the group and go around the park to the exit - otherwise the man might realise he was being followed.

But as he approached the group, the guy began undressing.

Remus couldn't look away as he pulled off his jeans, revealing tight leggings underneath. The leggings hugged his arse perfectly and not to mention the outline when the man turned to face him.

Remus didn't get a proper look because the next thing he knew, he was on the floor with the stranger hovering over him.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"What… what happened?"

The man's lips twisted up in amusement even though it was clear he was trying not to laugh. "You might have been distracted and walked into the pole."

Remus was mortified. "Oh crap."

"It's my fault. I kept walking past the bookshop so I could get your attention. I know I'm sexy so knew you'd follow me eventually to see where I go. When I saw you here, I thought I'd get your attention even more by starting to do my stretches. Maybe you'd come over and talk to me. I didn't mean to give you a concussion."

"I should have paid more attention to the street rather than your…" Remus trailed off. "This is embarrassing."

"Well, you probably won't die from a concussion," the stranger said. "How about I come over and spend the night and make sure that doesn't happen? Come on - I'll take you to lunch. I can't leave you alone. You might be hurt."

"Lunch sounds good," Remus admitted.

"And if it's very good, you can watch me do my stretches again. You can see how flexible I am."


	29. Twenty-Eight

**A collection of 28 meet cutes for February**

* * *

Meet Cute Marathon - Prompt:

Day twenty-eight

Basically I just want all the agents in camera fics so go crazy! :p

* * *

28

* * *

"Look at him, secret agent guy," Sirius said, lining his camera up with the guy from the bookshop. "Isn't he beautiful." He glanced into the screen. "I bet you know his camera-agent. Do you think you and his agent could get together and chat and set us up?"

There was silence, but Sirius expected it. The agent that watched him through his camera was a shy one - and since Sirius' crush was the most shy guy he had ever watched from afar, Sirius could appreciate the trait.

Sirius glanced at the screen again. "Just get him to notice me. Set things up so we're in the same place at the same time. I'll be at the gym next to the library at about six. Hook us up."

...oOo…

Sirius was so busy writing on his phone on his way into the leisure centre, he almost bumped into someone. He glanced up, his eyes widening at the sight of his crush.

"Hi," he said.

"I'm sorry," the other man quickly replied. "I was talking on my phone and…"

"It's okay," Sirius quickly replied. "I was distracted by my phone too." He cleared his throat. Clearly their agents had pulled through. "But I think you're more distracting. Dinner."

"Dinner?"

"Yeah. I've seen you around and let me take you to dinner."

The guy held up a book. "Let me just drop this into the library and I'll be right with you," he said, smiling shyly. "What's your name?"

"I'm Sirius - Sirius Black. You?"

"Remus Lupin."

"Well, it's fate that we see each other around so often but just happened to be here at the same time."

"I was surprised," Remus replied. "I wasn't going to come today - I never planned to, but then I was on my phone and thought it'd be a good idea to come back out. I didn't expect to see you here, but I'm glad I did. I've been hoping you'd ask me to dinner.""

He disappeared through the doors and Sirius smiled after him.

Once Remus was out of sight, Sirius lifted his phone to his face, looked at the camera where he knew his agent was watching.

"Excellent job, thank you," he murmured.


End file.
